Browse Companies

Calm Music Boosts Well-Being During Pregnancy

Music therapy can reduce the stress suffered by pregnant women, according to new findings.

The finding comes from a team at Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan. They assigned 116 pregnant women to a music therapy group, and compared their stress levels against 120 similar pregnant women who were given no therapy.

Those in the music group were given four 30-minute CDs featuring music that mimicked the human heart rate, with between 60 and 80 beats per minute. Songs included Brahms’ Lullaby and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and composers like Beethoven and Debussy. The women were asked to listen for 30 minutes a day.

After two weeks, these women showed a significant drop on the "Perceived Stress Scale" and the "State-Trait Anxiety Inventory". Depression ratings also fell significantly. The other group did not show a benefit.

The women in the music group tended to prefer lullabies, nature and crystal sounds to classical music.

Results appear in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Researcher Professor Chung-Hey Chen said: "Pregnancy is a unique and stressful period for many expectant mothers and they suffer anxiety and depression because of the long time period involved.

"In fact, anxiety and depression during pregnancy is a similar health problem to postnatal depression. 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 realised 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."

Effects of music therapy on psychological health of women during pregnancy. Chang et al. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 17, pp 2580-2587 (October 2008).

Last Updated: 10/10/2008 - 12:00 AM

Questions or Concerns about the Website? Please phone us at 08000328082 or contact us via Email

About Us - Contact Us - StaffNurse Product - Terms & Conditions - Privacy Policy - Security Policy - Disclaimer - Site Map - StaffAllied.com - Logout