Spousal support to reduce anxiety during labor among primigravida mothers

Labour is a physically and emotionally demanding experience for primi mothers. Anxiety during labour can adversely affect maternal cooperation, labour progress, and neonatal outcomes. Continuous emotional support from the spouse could be a simple, non-pharmacological intervention to reduce maternal anxiety. Current quasi experimental study aimed to assess the effectiveness of spousal support in reducing anxiety during labour among primigravida mothers. By using simple random sampling, 60 primigravida mothers were selected and allocated into intervention (n=30) and control (n=30) groups. The intervention group received structured spousal support during the active phase of labour, while the control group received routine care. Maternal anxiety was assessed using a standardized anxiety scale before and after the intervention. Results revealed that mean anxiety score of primigravida mothers in the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group (p < 0.001) after the intervention. Spousal support was found to be effective in reducing anxiety during labour.