Maternal anxiety is prevalent, with rates ranging from 18.2% in early pregnancy to 24.6% in late pregnancy. The condition has been reported to be associated with negative consequences, including premature birth, lower birth weight, postpartum depression, diminished prenatal bonding, and etc. Given the benefits of music on physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of pregnant women, the potential of music as a readily available, affordable, and non-pharmacological intervention against maternal anxiety has attracted researchers' interest. A recent clinical study involved 217 pregnant women by Ji et al. (2024) demonstrated that pregnant women who exposed to music during labour exhibited reduced scores of State Anxiety Inventory (STAI), both during the active time and two hours after giving birth compared to control group. At the first stage of labour, pregnant women in the music group experienced dramatically reduced score of pain in active phase and Edinburgh postnatal depression scale at discharged from the hospital. Thus, receptive music therapy in obstetric care can be an effective tool in preventing anxiety-induced complications.

References
1. Ji et al. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15. DOI:10.3389/FPSYT.2024.1429999.