The effect of classical Turkish music on stress and sleep quality in pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia: Randomized controlled study

We conducted this randomized controlled study to investigate the impact of classical Turkish music on stress and sleep quality in pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia. The study was conducted with 124 preeclamptic pregnant women (62 experimental, 62 control group) registered at Tarsus State Hospital between May 2024 and November 2024. Data was collected in three separate forms: Personal Information Form, Perceived Stress Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. One of the recommended classical Turkish music types (Rehavi or Nihavent) was applied to the pregnant women in the experimental group for at least 15 minutes once a day for three consecutive days while the control group was followed routinely. In the analysis of the obtained data, descriptive statistical calculations, the Student's t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test, the paired sample t-test, and the Wilcoxon test were used. It was determined that the socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics of the pregnant women in the experimental and control groups participating in our study were similar (p > 0.05). The pre-test perceived stress score of the experimental group in the experimental and control groups was that the control class was high (p < 0.05). The post-test perceived stress scores showed a significant difference according to the groups (p < 0.05). The control group's perceived stress score was determined to be high in the experimental class. Nevertheless, since the pre-test Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index total score and sub-dimension scores did not differ in the experimental and control groups, they did not show a significant difference (p > 0.05). The post-test Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index total score and sub-dimension scores (subjective sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep latency, sleep disturbance, daytime dysfunction) were significantly impaired, and it was determined that their sleep quality increased significantly (p < 0.05). There was no significant effect, only on the use of medication and the sleep performance sub-dimension offered for use. There was a permanent, significant, and positive (r=0.371, p<0.01) relationship between the experimental group's post-test Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the post-test perceived stress. The stress of pregnant women ended when they stayed asleep. No relationship was found in the control group (p > 0.05). The research result: Classical Turkish music played to pregnant women with preeclampsia minimizes their stress and increases their sleep.