BINAURAL BEAT AUDIO THERAPY AS A COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR MATERNAL ANXIETY DURING LABOR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47701/74860g62Keywords:
binaural beats, complementary therapy, maternal anxiety, labor, primiparous womenAbstract
Maternal anxiety during labor may intensify pain
perception, increase sympathetic nervous system
activation, and negatively affect the childbirth experience.
Binaural beat audio therapy is a non-invasive, non-
pharmacological intervention that may help manage
maternal anxiety. This study aimed to examine its effect on
anxiety levels among primiparous women during labor. A
quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was conducted
among 24 primiparous women in the active phase of the
first stage of labor, allocated to an intervention group
(n=12) and a control group (n=12). The intervention group
received a single 20-minute session of 6-Hz binaural beat
audio within the theta frequency range through stereo
headphones, while the control group received routine
maternity care. Anxiety was assessed before and after the
intervention using the Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety
(VAS-A). Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-
rank and Mann–Whitney U tests, with p<0.05 considered
significant. The median anxiety score decreased from 65
mm to 45 mm in the intervention group, compared with 62
mm to 59 mm in the control group. The between-group
difference in change scores was statistically significant
(U=25.0; p=0.004). Binaural beat audio therapy was
associated with a greater reduction in maternal anxiety
than routine maternity care. Further research with larger
samples and randomized controlled designs is
recommended.
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