Effects of acupressure on preoperative acute anxiety in cesarean section under spinal anesthesia a double-blind randomized controlled study

Abstract

Anxiety during the preoperative period is a common problem experienced by women who will deliver by cesarean section. The use of nonpharmacological methods to control anxiety in pregnant women has been shown to be more appropriate. This double-blind randomized controlled experimental study was conducted to assess the effect of acupressure on acute anxiety developing before cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. In the present study, 82 pregnant women scheduled for surgery were randomly assigned to the acupressure and control groups including 40 and 42 persons, respectively. Acupressure was applied to HE-7 acupuncture points in the participants in the acupressure (intervention) group for 10 minutes before the surgery. The participants in the control group were subjected to the hospital protocol. Anxiety levels of the participating women were assessed twice preoperatively using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Anxiety scores of the participants in the acupressure group before the procedure (49.13 +/- 6.22) were higher than were those of the participants in the control group (41.71 +/- 3.26); however, after the procedure, the anxiety scores decreased statistically significantly in the acupressure group (38.30 +/- 4.45) compared with the control group (52.48 +/- 7.30) (P< .001). Acupressure reduced the preoperative acute anxiety suffered by the participating pregnant women.