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7 October 2008
Music helpful during pregnancy 
Music therapy can reduce psychological stress, depression and anxiety among pregnant women, according to research just published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. The study was based on two groups of women; one, a music group and the other a control group. "The music group showed significant reductions in stress, anxiety and depression after just two weeks, using three established measurement scales," said researcher Professor Chung-Hey Chen. "In comparison, the control group showed a much smaller reduction in stress, while their anxiety and depression scores showed little or no improvement." Four pre-recorded 30-minute music CDs were created for the study and each featured music that mimicked the human heart rate, with between 60 and 80 beats per minute (with works by Beethoven, Brahms and Debussy). Women taking part in the music group were given copies of the CDs and asked to listen to them for 30 minutes a day for two weeks. They then completed a diary saying which CD they had listened to and what they were doing at the time. Most of them listened to the music while they were resting, at bedtime or performing chores. The control group did not listen to the CDs. The results showed that: - Before they took part in the study, women in the music group scored 17.44 on the Perceived Stress Scale, which ranges from zero to 30. After the intervention their stress levels had dropped by an average of 2.15, which is statistically significant. Women in the control group reported a much smaller fall of 0.92.
- Anxiety was measured by the State Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, which ranges from 20 to 80. It fell by 2.13 from 37.92 in the music group and rose by 0.71 in the control group.
- Depression was measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression scale, which ranges from zero to 30. The music group reported an average level of 12.11 before the intervention and a reduction of 1.84 at the end of the two-week period. The score was almost constant in the control group, falling by an insignificant 0.03.
"Pregnancy is a unique and stressful period for many expectant mothers and they suffer anxiety and depression because of the long time period involved," says Professor Chen. "Any intervention that reduces these problems is to be welcomed. Our study shows that listening to suitable music provides a simple, cost-effective and non-invasive way of reducing stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy. The value of music therapy is slowly being realized by nurses in a number of clinical settings and we hope that our findings will encourage healthcare professionals to consider it when treating pregnant women." Related:
Pregnancy Stress Can Trigger Schizophrenia
Experiences In Womb Can Profoundly Influence Adult Life Source: Journal of Clinical Nursing
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