The effect of neurolinguistic programming on labor pain, fear, duration and maternal satisfaction: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objectives: Labor pain is one of the most severe pains experienced by women. In the literature, there is no research examining the effect of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) on birth pain and fear. It was aimed to determine the effect of NLP on labor pain, fear, duration, and maternal satisfaction in both nulliparous, and multiparous pregnant women. Design: This study consists of each with two arms, parallel-group randomized controlled trials, on two different samples for both nulliparous and multiparous women. Data were collected between 3 October 2023-21 January 2024. A total of 124 women (62 nulliparous and 62 multiparous women) who gave birth vaginally constituted the sample of the study. Both nulliparous and multiparous women were randomly assigned to groups. The primary outcomes were labor pain, fear, duration, and satisfaction. When the cervical span was 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8 cm, NLP was applied to the experimental group for 20 min each, the control group rested for 20 min each. Results: According to the measurement times, the mean pain score of the experimental group was lower than the control group. The mean VAS pain score measured over time decreased by 90.3 % in the NLP group compared to the control group for primiparous and 64.5 % compared to the control group for multiparous. In both nulliparous and multiparous, the fear of labor of the NLP group was lower, the duration of labor was shorter, and the satisfaction with labor was higher compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: NLP reduces labor pain and fear, shortens the duration of labor, and increases maternal satisfaction in labor.