ArticleThe Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association2026
Effect of listening to Quran recitation on labor pain, childbirth comfort, and maternal blood pressure: a quasi-experimental study among nulliparous women.
Article in The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLabor pain and maternal comfort during childbirth can influence women's childbirth experience, labor progress, and psychological well-being. Non-pharmacological interventions are increasingly used to support labor pain management in a safe and supportive manner. Quran recitation, a culturally familiar auditory intervention for Muslim women, may help reduce pain perception and promote relaxation during labor. This study aims to examine the effect of listening to Quran recitation on labor pain, childbirth comfort, and blood pressure among nulliparous women in Oman.
methodsA quasi-experimental study was conducted at Khoula Hospital, Oman, among 120 nulliparous women with singleton term pregnancies in active labor. Participants were allocated into two groups: a Quran recitation group (n = 60) and a back massage group (n = 60). Women in the intervention group listened to a recorded Quran recitation during labor, while the comparison group received a standardized back massage. Labor pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), pain behavior using the Pain Behavioral Observation Scale (PBOS-3), and childbirth comfort using the Childbirth Comfort Questionnaire (CCQ). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were also recorded. Measurements were obtained before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests, independent t-test, chi-square, and multivariate linear regression.
resultsWomen in the Quran recitation group showed a significant reduction in mean VAS pain scores, decreasing from 76.45 ± 8.20 before the intervention to 58.32 ± 7.16 after the intervention (p < 0.001). In contrast, the back massage group showed no statistically significant change (62.88 ± 8.44 to 61.10 ± 7.98; p > 0.05). The Quran recitation group also demonstrated significantly improved pain behavior and higher overall childbirth comfort scores (CCQ total score, p = 0.002). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that Quran recitation was significantly associated with lower systolic (β = - 0.53, p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (β = - 0.49, p < 0.001) after adjustment for gestational age, time of admission, and prior Quran exposure.
conclusionQuran recitation was associated with reduced labor pain, improved childbirth comfort, and lower blood pressure among nulliparous women during labor. As a culturally acceptable non-pharmacological intervention, it may support more holistic maternity care for Muslim women.
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.