Healing Sounds for Pregnant Women: Sape' Dayak Music and Anxiety Reduction

Health Polytechnic of Palangka Raya

Status: Completed

Conditions: Anxiety

Treatments: Other: Brahms' Lullaby Music Therapy; Other: Traditional Sape' Dayak Music Listening

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07078097

HK.02.03/XLI/1802/2025 (Other Identifier)

470/II/KE.PE/2025

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study investigates whether listening to traditional Dayak Sape' music could reduce anxiety in pregnant women as effectively as traditional lullabies. The researchers will recruit 32 pregnant women and divide them into two groups: one listened to Sape' Dayak music, and the other listened to Brahms' Lullaby. Anxiety levels will be measured before and after the music interventions using the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS).

Full description

Pregnancy is a wonderful experience, but it can also be a source of anxiety for many women owing to hormonal changes, body changes, and the prospect of motherhood. This anxiety is not just uncomfortable; it can have a substantial influence on both the mother's and the baby's health. Recognizing this, experts are increasingly turning at non-medical approaches to aid, and music therapy is gaining popularity due to its low side effects.

Music has long been used for relaxation in various cultures, and it has been shown to have an effect on our physiology, including hormone release. This study will look specifically at the possibility of the Sape' Dayak, a traditional Indonesian instrument, as a therapeutic tool. The Sape' is noted for its relaxing properties and has a significant cultural value for the Dayak people. It is frequently utilized in healing rituals and community activities. While its cultural significance is evident, its specific benefit in relieving anxiety in pregnant women has not been extensively researched.

The primary purpose of this study is to address that research gap. The study is seeking to determine whether listening to Sape' Dayak music may reduce anxiety levels in pregnant mothers as effectively as traditional lullabies. The study intends to encourage holistic health practices while also contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage.

The study is designed as a quasi-experiment, with a control group. Researchers will recruit 32 pregnant women in the third trimester (28-40 weeks) from midwifery clinics. Participants require to be at least 18 years old, have poor sleep quality (a PSQI score of 5 or above). They will be eliminated if they are more than 40 weeks pregnant, have a mental disorder that affects their view of reality, or are carrying twins.

The 32 respondents will be split into two groups of sixteen each. One group, the intervention group (IG), will listen traditional Sape' Dayak music. The control group (CG) will listen to Brahms' Lullaby. Participants in both groups will be told to lightly massage their abdomens and visualize their infants while listening to music through earbuds for 20 minutes a day for three days straight. The music sessions will be held in the participants' homes to ensure privacy and comfort, with doors and windows closed.

Anxiety levels will be measured using the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS) both before (pre-test) and after the music intervention. The PASS is a solid and useful measure for identifying anxiety symptoms unique to perinatal women. The PASS scores assist characterize anxiety as little, mild-moderate, or severe. The acquired data will be examined using statistical software to assess anxiety levels across and within groups.

Enrollment: 32 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 20 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1). Third trimester of pregnancy (28-40 weeks); 2). At least 20 years old; 3). Having a score on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score > 5, which indicates poor sleep quality; 3). Primiparous.

Exclusion criteria

1. . Beyond the 40th week of pregnancy;
2. . Having mental illness that caused hallucinations or altered perception of reality;

5). Having a twin pregnancy.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

32 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention Group (IG): Traditional Sape' Dayak Music

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will listen to one Sape' Dayak song for 20 minutes daily over three consecutive days. This traditional Dayaknese song features pentatonic melodies known for creating a serene and emotionally relaxing environment, ideal for healing and anxiety relief. While listening through earphones, participants will be instructed to gently massage their abdomens and imagine their infants. The Sape' Dayak music has a slow rhythm, fluctuating between 80 to 85 beats per minute, which aligns with the normal heart rate. Sessions will be held in participants' homes for privacy, between 08:00 and 11:00 post-breakfast, ensuring no medical care or other distractions. To ensure participants compliance, the trackify music tracking app will be used, and research assistants will collect the time of playing from the app upon completion of the session.

Treatment:

Other: Traditional Sape' Dayak Music Listening

Control Group (CG): Brahms' Lullaby Music Therapy

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will listen to one preselected Johannes Brahms' Lullaby song for 20 minutes daily for three consecutive days. The lyrics typically express maternal love and tenderness for the fetus. Similar to the IG, participants will be instructed to gently touch their tummy and reflect on their unborn children while wearing earphones. The intervention will take place in their homes during the same morning hours, minimizing external influences. This standardized approach aims to avoid bias from personal music preferences. To ensure participants compliance, the trackify music tracking app will be used, and research assistants will collect the time of playing from the app upon completion of the session.

Treatment:

Other: Brahms' Lullaby Music Therapy