Impact of Relaxation Techniques on Anxiety and Pain Management During Labor: A Quasi-Experimental Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31580/bp79ze35Keywords:
Anxiety management, Labor pain, Labor progression, Maternal outcomes, Non-invasive pain relief, Pain perception, Relaxation techniquesAbstract
Background: In order to improve maternal experiences and outcomes, relaxation techniques have emerged as promising therapies to reduce pain and anxiety during childbirth.
Objective: This systematic review work intended to examine the impact of relaxation methods to anxiety and pain tolerance during labor and offer systematic data to help laboring females. Methodology: In accordance with PRISMA principles for transparency, this systematic review assessed the effects of relaxation techniques on managing pain and anxiety during childbirth. A total of 90 papers were found after a search was done across PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar for articles published between 2014 and 2024. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 50 studies were eliminated and 40 papers were included. 16 studies were filtered out for the table to review previous research on relaxation techniques during labor. Studies with pregnant women in labor, relaxation-focused therapies like breathing exercises and meditation, and pertinent outcome measures like pain intensity and anxiety levels were the main emphasis of the inclusion criteria. Exclusion criteria ruled out non-peer-reviewed articles, studies without pertinent results, and studies not tailored to the target audience. Data extraction examined the research design, results, and sample size. Through the synthesis of research from many countries, this review seeks to improve maternal care during labor and educate clinical practices. Results: Out of the administrative review it was identified that there existed a direct link between the application of relaxation techniques and a decrease in anxiety as well as the perception of pain during labour. These techniques were demonstrated to enhance labor parameters resulting in higher maternal satisfaction and more efficient progression of labor. In comparing it with other traditional treatment methods used in treating pain, emotional relaxation methods were deemed to be most effective in easing anxiety and enabling women to have a calm delivery. Conclusion: Hypnotic approaches are one such practice that can be easily used to help decrease pain and stress for the woman during delivery. Its application to clinical practice could potentially improve patient’s satisfaction by offering an effective and complementary method of nausea and pain intervention, primarily during stages of early labor.
References
Olza I, Uvnas-Moberg K, Ekström-Bergström A, Leahy-Warren P, Karlsdottir SI, Nieuwenhuijze M, Villarmea S, Hadjigeorgiou E, Kazmierczak M, Spyridou A, Buckley S. Birth as a neuro-psycho-social event: An integrative model of maternal experiences and their relation to neurohormonal events during childbirth. Plos one. 2020;15(7):e0230992.
Ashagrie HE, Fentie DY, Kassahun HG. A review article on epidural analgesia for labor pain management: A systematic review. International Journal of Surgery Open. 2020 ;24:100-4.
Konlan KD, Afaya A, Mensah E, Suuk AN, Kombat DI. Non-pharmacological interventions of pain management used during labour; an exploratory descriptive qualitative study of puerperal women in Adidome Government Hospital of the Volta Region, Ghana. Reproductive health. 2021;18:1-1.
Kaple GS, Patil S. Effectiveness of Jacobson relaxation and Lamaze breathing techniques in the management of pain and stress during labor: an experimental study. Cureus. 2023 ;15(1).
Wu N, Huang R, Shan S, Li Y, Jiang H. Effect of the labour roadmap on anxiety, labour pain, sense of control, and gestational outcomes in primiparas. Complementary therapies in clinical practice. 2022 ;46:101545.
Tan HS, Agarthesh T, Tan CW, Sultana R, Chen HY, Chua TE, Sng BL. Perceived stress during labor and its association with depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and pain catastrophizing. Scientific Reports. 2021;11(1):17005.
Hulsbosch LP, Boekhorst MG, Potharst ES, Pop VJ, Nyklíček I. Trait mindfulness during pregnancy and perception of childbirth. Archives of Women's Mental Health. 2021:281-92.
Kim JS. Emotional labor strategies, stress, and burnout among hospital nurses: a path analysis. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 2020 ;52(1):105-12.
Feray S, Lubach J, Joshi GP, Bonnet F, Van de Velde M, PROSPECT Working Group* of the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy, Joshi GP, Pogatzki‐Zahn E, Van de Velde M, Schug S, Kehlet H. PROSPECT guidelines for video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a systematic review and procedure‐specific postoperative pain management recommendations. Anaesthesia. 2022;77(3):311-25.
Ghaffari MT. A Different Way of Being: The Influence of a Single Antenatal Relaxation Class on Maternal Psychological Wellbeing and Childbirth Experience An Exploratory Sequential Mix-Method Study (Doctoral dissertation).
Simkin PP, O'hara M. Nonpharmacologic relief of pain during labor: systematic reviews of five methods. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology. 2002;186(5):S131-59.
Zeidan F, Gordon NS, Merchant J, Goolkasian P. The effects of brief mindfulness meditation training on experimentally induced pain. The Journal of Pain. 2010;11(3):199-209.
Khojasteh F, Rezaee N, Safarzadeh A, Sahlabadi R, Shahrakipoor M. Comparison of the effects of massage therapy and guided imagery on anxiety of nulliparous women during pregnancy. depression. 2016;13(8):1-7.
Weschenfelder F, Bulgay-Mörschel M, Lütje W, Schleußner E. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Training During Pregnancy: Effects on Mental State, Delivery and Labour Pain–a Prospective Study. Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde. 2024.
Kaple GS, Patil S. Effectiveness of Jacobson relaxation and Lamaze breathing techniques in the management of pain and stress during labor: an experimental study. Cureus. 2023;15(1).
Chuntharapat S, Petpichetchian W, Hatthakit U. Yoga during pregnancy: effects on maternal comfort, labor pain and birth outcomes. Complementary therapies in clinical practice. 2008;14(2):105-15.
Soumya AS. A study to assess the effectiveness of guided imagery in reducing the pain during labour among the mothers admitted in a selected hospital at mangalore (Master's thesis, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (India)).
Baljon KJ, Romli MH, Ismail AH, Khuan L, Chew BH. Effectiveness of breathing exercises, foot reflexology and back massage (BRM) on labour pain, anxiety, duration, satisfaction, stress hormones and newborn outcomes among primigravidae during the first stage of labour in Saudi Arabia: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMJ open. 2020 ;10(6):e033844.
Srisopa P, Cong X, Russell B, Lucas R. The role of emotion regulation in pain management among women from labor to three months postpartum: an integrative review. Pain Management Nursing. 2021;22(6):783-90.
Gedde-Dahl M, Fors EA. Impact of self-administered relaxation and guided imagery techniques during final trimester and birth. Complementary therapies in clinical practice. 2012;18(1):60-5.
Nasiri S, Akbari H, Tagharrobi L, Tabatabaee AS. The effect of progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery on stress, anxiety, and depression of pregnant women referred to health centers. Journal of education and health promotion. 2018 ;7(1):41.
Leutenegger V, Grylka-Baeschlin S, Wieber F, Daly D, Pehlke-Milde J. The effectiveness of skilled breathing and relaxation techniques during antenatal education on maternal and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2022 ;22(1):856.
Gheibi Z, Abbaspour Z, Haghighyzadeh MH, Javadifar N. Effects of a mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting program on maternal-fetal attachment: a randomized controlled trial among Iranian pregnant women. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2020 ;41:101226.
Yavari C, Masoumi SZ, Kazemi F, Refaei M, Yaghoobi A. The effect of positive mental imagery on labor pain tolerance in primiparous women referred to atieh teaching-medical center of Hamadan, Iran, 2018.
Bagharpoosh M, Sangestani G, GOUDARZI M. Effect of progressive muscle relaxation technique on pain relief during labor.
Jhala A. a study to assess the effectiveness of lamaze breathing on labor pain and anxiety towards labor outcome among primigravida mothers during labor in community health center, Kolar Road, Bhopal (MP). Indian J Obstet Gynecol. 2017 ;5(1):19-22..
Tabatabaeichehr M, Mortazavi H. The effectiveness of aromatherapy in the management of labor pain and anxiety: A systematic review. Ethiopian journal of health sciences. 2020;30(3).
Olza I, Uvnas-Moberg K, Ekström-Bergström A, Leahy-Warren P, Karlsdottir SI, Nieuwenhuijze M, Villarmea S, Hadjigeorgiou E, Kazmierczak M, Spyridou A, Buckley S. Birth as a neuro-psycho-social event: An integrative model of maternal experiences and their relation to neurohormonal events during childbirth. Plos one. 2020;15(7):e0230992.
Wu N, Huang R, Shan S, Li Y, Jiang H. Effect of the labour roadmap on anxiety, labour pain, sense of control, and gestational outcomes in primiparas. Complementary therapies in clinical practice. 2022 ;46:101545.
Nanji JA, Carvalho B. Pain management during labor and vaginal birth. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 2020;67:100-12.
Hulsbosch LP, Boekhorst MG, Potharst ES, Pop VJ, Nyklíček I. Trait mindfulness during pregnancy and perception of childbirth. Archives of Women's Mental Health. 2021;24:281-92.
Rajwade S, Dubey R, Khetarpal M, Ramchandani S, Panda CK, Kumar M, Kalbande JV. Comparative Analysis of the Postoperative Analgesic Effects of Caudal Epidural Injection of Ropivacaine Combined With Fentanyl Versus Ropivacaine Alone in Lumbosacral Spine Surgeries: A Randomized Double-Blinded Study. Cureus. 2024;16(10).
Nori W, Kassim MA, Helmi ZR, Pantazi AC, Brezeanu D, Brezeanu AM, Penciu RC, Serbanescu L. Non-pharmacological pain management in labor: a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2023;12(23):7203.
Gönenç IM, Terzioğlu F. Effects of massage and acupressure on relieving labor pain, reducing labor time, and increasing delivery satisfaction. Journal of Nursing Research. 2020;28(1):e68.
Aguilera‐Martín Á, Gálvez‐Lara M, Blanco‐Ruiz M, García‐Torres F. Psychological, educational, and alternative interventions for reducing fear of childbirth in pregnant women: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2021 ;77(3):525-55.
Hu Y, Lu H, Huang J, Zang Y. Efficacy and safety of non‐pharmacological interventions for labour pain management: A systematic review and Bayesian network meta‐analysis. Journal of clinical nursing. 2021;30(23-24):3398-414.
Leutenegger V, Grylka-Baeschlin S, Wieber F, Daly D, Pehlke-Milde J. The effectiveness of skilled breathing and relaxation techniques during antenatal education on maternal and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2022 ;22(1):856.
Thorp JA, Breedlove G. Epidural analgesia in labor: an evaluation of risks and benefits. Birth. 1996 ;23(2):63-83.
Podungge Y. Endhorpin massage and pregnancy exercise as a method to relieve lower back pain in trimester III pregnant women. Health Notions. 2019 ;3(4):166-72.
Nguyen PH, Sanghvi T, Kim SS, Tran LM, Afsana K, Mahmud Z, Aktar B, Menon P. Factors influencing maternal nutrition practices in a large scale maternal, newborn and child health program in Bangladesh. PloS one. 2017 ;12(7):e0179873.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Pak-Euro Journal of Medical and Life Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
