The impact of kangaroo care and music on maternal state anxiety

The effect of kangaroo care (KC) has not been adequately studied in mothers. This present study was undertaken to determine if music during KC has a greater effect than KC alone, on maternal state anxiety (MSA) in the early postpartum period.

In a randomized controlled trial, 90 Iranian women who were scheduled for a repeat Cesarean-section, were randomized into three groups: KC, music during KC, and a control group. Mothers' pain scores were evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS). If the VAS score was ≤3, then MSA was measured by using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Scale (Spielberg). Interventions were 30 min KC for mother-infant dyads, or playing music for the mothers during KC. Six hours later, in cases where the VAS was ≤3, the MSA was re-measured using Spielberg's scale for all mothers.

Six hours post intervention, there was no significant difference in the overall mean scores of MSA between the groups, but the severity of MSA in the two experimental groups was less than in the control group (P=0.02), although not between the two experimental groups.

The findings of this study provide evidence that KC has an effect on the severity of MSA in mothers who were delivered by C-section, however, music during KC had no more effect than KC alone. More research is needed to document the effectiveness of selected or familiar music during KC on state anxiety in early postpartum.