ABSTRACT: Background: Listening to music has a stress-reducing effect in surgical
procedures. The effects of listening to music immediately before a cesarean section have not
been studied. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of listening to selected
music while waiting for a cesarean section on emotional reactions, on cognitive appraisal of
the threat of surgery, and on stress-related physiological reactions. Methods: A total of 60
healthy women waiting alone to undergo an elective cesarean section for medical reasons
only were randomly assigned either to an experimental or a control group. An hour before
surgery they reported mood, and threat perception. Vital signs were assessed by a nurse.
The experimental group listened to preselected favorite music for 40 minutes, and the
control group waited for the operation without music. At the end of this period, all
participants responded to a questionnaire assessing mood and threat perception, and the
nurse measured vital signs. Results: Women who listened to music before a cesarean
section had a significant increase in positive emotions and a significant decline in negative
emotions and perceived threat of the situation when compared with women in the control
group, who exhibited a decline in positive emotions, an increase in the perceived threat of
the situation, and had no change in negative emotions. Women who listened to music also
exhibited a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure compared with a significant
increase in diastolic blood pressure and respiratory rate in the control group. Conclusion:
Listening to favorite music immediately before a cesarean section may be a cost-effective,
emotion-focused coping strategy.