The Therapeutic Impact of Traditional Indian Instrumental Music on Labour Pain and Anxiety in Primigravida Mothers: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Objectives Childbirth is a universally intense physiological and psychological event. For primigravida women, the lack of prior experience often leads to heightened anxiety and lower pain tolerance during the first stage of labour. This study evaluates the efficacy of a specialized instrumental sound therapy as a non-pharmacological nursing intervention to manage these outcomes. Material and Methods A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test control group design was utilized at a tertiary care hospital in Mangaluru. Sixty-eight primigravida women were recruited via purposive sampling and divided into intervention ( n = 34) and control ( n = 34) groups. The intervention consisted of two 30-min sessions of traditional Indian instrumental music administered via headphones during the latent phase (2-4 cm dilatation) with a 30-min rest interval. Pain was assessed using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), and anxiety was measured via the Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety (VASA). Results The study of 68 primigravida mothers found that following the music intervention, the experimental group showed highly significant reductions in mean pain score (6.44–5.00) and anxiety (4.50–3.59) score, whereas scores in the control group naturally increased as labour progressed. Post-test comparisons confirmed that traditional Indian instrumental music significantly lowered pain and anxiety levels compared to standard care, establishing it as an effective non-pharmacological labour aid. Conclusion Specialized instrumental music is a highly effective, low-cost tool for improving maternal comfort and psychological stability during labour. These findings support the integration of structured music therapy into standard obstetric care protocols to enhance the birthing experience in modern, home-like labour environments.