The Effect of Stress Ball on Anxiety, Comfort and Non Stress Test Parameters of Pregnant Women During Non Stress Testing

Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University70 enrolled

Overview

Non-stress testing (NST) is used to assess fetal wellbeing and to detect and intervene early in fetuses at risk. NST is an easy to administer, noninvasive, prenatal assessment method used from 32 weeks of gestation to term. High levels of anxiety during the common NST procedure can negatively affect the test result and increase the rate of non-reactive NST, potentially leading to misinterpretation. Therefore, midwifery/nursing interventions to make the pregnant woman comfortable during the procedure and to reduce anxiety and stress are important. Stress ball is one of the nonpharmacological methods in the management of pain, stress and anxiety based on the logic of drawing the attention of the person to a different side and is an application for the sense of touch. In the obstetric field, there have been studies evaluating the effects of stress ball application on labor and vascular pain of pregnant women, but there is no study evaluating anxiety, comfort and NST parameters during NST.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 35 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * To be between the ages of 18-35, * Turkish as the mother tongue, * Being literate, having a singleton pregnancy, * She has had NST at least once before, * 32 weeks or more gestation, * Being multiparous, * Having eaten at least two hours before the NST procedure, * Volunteering to participate in the research. Exclusion Criteria: * Having a high-risk pregnancy, * Having a psychiatric disorder, * Being pregnant with an urgent NST result, * Smoking or drinking alcohol at least two hours before the NST procedure, * Having any problem that prevents communication (such as hearing, speaking, ability to understand), having a visual, hearing, speech, physical or mental disability.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

State Anxiety Scale

The scale was created by Spielberger. Its Turkish validity and reliability was performed by Öner and Le Compte. It is a 4-point Likert-type scale consisting of 20 questions measuring the anxiety levels of individuals. The scale includes items that are expressed positively and negatively. In the scoring phase of the scale, the total weighted score obtained for the direct statements is subtracted from the total weighted score of the reversed statements. A predetermined and unchanging value is added to this number. This unchanging value is 50 for the State Anxiety Scale. The last value obtained gives the anxiety score of the person. The scores that can be obtained from the scale vary between 20 and 80, and high scores indicate a high level of anxiety. The Cronbach alpha value of the original scale is between 0.94-0.96 and has a high internal consistency.

Time frame: 1 minute before NST application and 1 minute after NST aplication

Secondary Outcomes

Visual Analog Scale for Comfort

The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) is a reliable, valid and sensitive self-report measure for the examination of subjective patient experiences including pain, nausea, fatigue and dyspnea.The VAS scale consists of 0-10 points. Pregnant women will be asked to mark a number according to the comfort they feel. A score of '0' indicates feeling uncomfortable, while a score of '10' indicates the highest level of comfort.