A Study of Needs for Nonphamacological Pain Relived among Women in Labor

Abstract

This descriptive study aimed to explore the needs for nonpharmacological pain relief and compare the proportions of these needs among women in labor. A total of 146 participants were recruited and enrolled through purposive sampling. Research instruments included a characteristics survey, a delivery fear scale, and a questionnaire assessing the needs for nonpharmacological pain relief, with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.73. Descriptive statistics and chi-square were employed to analyze the data.

Findings revealed that the majority of the participants were aged between 15 and 45 years old (M = 26.99, SD = 5.94), had completed high school (60.2%), were housewives (41.1%), and were married (96.6%). Concerning labor experience, participants were predominantly multigravidarum (61.0%), received antenatal care at a government hospital (84.9%), and had a vaginal delivery (84.9%). A significant proportion (89.7%) of participants expressed a need for nonpharmacological pain relief, with back massage being the most preferred (64.4%), followed by listening to music (61.0%). When comparing proportions of nonpharmacological pain relief needs, including age, marital status, educational level, income, number of pregnancies, complications during pregnancy, and type of delivery, no statistically significant differences were observed. Recommendation: Nurses should develop and provide guidelines for using methods to relieve labor pain that encompass a variety of options, allowing women in labor to choose according to their individual needs and preferences.