The effect of music listening on risk perception and sleeping quality in pregnancy diagnosis of early birth threat

INTRODUCTION and PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the effect of listening to music on the perception of risk and sleep quality in pregnant women hospitalized due to the diagnosis of threatened preterm labor. METHOD: Our experimental randomized controlled study was conducted between November 1, 2022, and November 30, 2023, with 80 pregnant women diagnosed with threatened preterm labor, including 40 in the experimental group and 40 in the control group, who were admitted to the perinatology service of a training and research hospital. In our study, a descriptive information form, the Perception of Risk Scale in Pregnancy (PRSP), and the Richard Campbell Sleep Quality Scale (RCSQS) were used. The pregnant women in the control group filled out the PRSP on the first day and the RCSQS every morning for three days, with the PRSP and RCSQS filled out again on the third day. No interventions other than the routine care of the service were provided to the pregnant women in the control group. Pregnant women in the experimental group listened to their choice of music (nature sounds, classical music, prayers, lullabies, or makam music) for 20 minutes before sleep between 22:00 and 24:00 for three days. The pregnant women in the experimental group filled out the PRSP on the first day and the RCSQS every morning for three days, with the PRSP and RCSQS filled out again on the third day. In evaluating the data, frequency distributions were used for categorical variables and descriptive statistics for numerical variables. Repeated measures ANOVA and dependent samples t-test were used to examine differences over time in measurements, and Chi-square test and independent samples t-test were used to examine differences between groups. Significance was accepted at p<0.05. RESULTS: The average age of the pregnant women participating in the study was 30.13±4.86 in the experimental group and 28.98±5.78 in the control group. 40% of the pregnant women were high school graduates, and 70% were not employed. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of sociodemographic characteristics. While there were no significant differences in obstetric characteristics between the groups, the number of pregnancies and curettages was higher in the control group compared to the experimental group. There were no significant differences in maternal vital measurements, but fetal heart rate measurements significantly increased over time in the experimental group. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of Richard Campbell Sleep Quality Scale (RCSQS) scores, although RCSQS scores showed a significant increase on the second day in the experimental group. There were no significant differences between the groups in Perception of Risk Scale in Pregnancy (PRSP) scores and sub-dimension scores, but PRSP scores and sub-dimension scores significantly increased over time in the control group. CONCLUSION: It was determined that listening to music in pregnant women diagnosed with threatened preterm labor increases fetal heart rate, does not cause any changes in maternal vital signs, does not affect sleep quality, but the perceived risk increases over time in pregnant women who do not listen to music. KEYWORDS: Threatened preterm labor, music listening, risk perception, sleep quality.