Measurement tools
The study data were collected through The Pregnant Information Form, VAS, Partograph Form, Childbirth Comfort Scale, and the State Anxiety Scale.
The Pregnant Information Form (PIF) : The form consists of 22 questions inquiring about the sociodemographic, gynecological, and obstetric characteristics of the pregnant women.
Visual Analog Scale (VAS): The scale was used in order to measure labor pain. It is made up of a vertical line ranging from 0 to 10.21 In the study, VAS was applied before the intervention at 4-5 cm cervical dilatation (VAS-I) and after the intervention at 4-5 cm, 6-7 cm, and 8-9 cm cervical dilatations (VAS-2, VAS-3, VAS-4, respectively).
Childbirth Comfort Questionnaire (CCQ): The scale was developed by Kerri Durnell Schuling and Carolyn Sampselle in 2003 in order to determine comfort level in childbirth. The validity and reliability of the Turkish form of the scale was conducted by Potur et al. (2015).22,23 As a result of the study by Potur et al., CCQ consisted of physical, environmental, and psychospiritual subdimensions and relaxation and superiority levels. The 9-item scale is a 5-point Likert type scale (1 = Absolutely Disagree, 5 = Absolutely Agree). The score to be obtained from the scale ranges between 9-45. A high score indicates a high level of comfort. Potur et al. found the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale as 0.75.23In the present study, this value for the scale was determined to be 0.72. CCQ was applied two times in the study, once at 4-5 cm cervical dilatation before the intervention and once at 8-9 cm dilatation after the intervention.
State Anxiety Scale (STAI-I) : The scale was developed by Spielberger in 1970, and it was adapted to Turkish by Oner and Le Compte (1983), who also conducted the validity and reliability study of the scale.24,25 The 4-point Likert type scale (1 = Almost Never, 4 = Almost Always) consists of 20 questions. There are two types of statements on the scale. Direct statements express negative emotions, while reverse statements express positive emotions. Weighted total score is calculated for both direct and reverse statements. The totals score obtained from negative statements is subtracted from the total score obtained from positive statements. A pre-determined constant number (50) is added to this number obtained. The final score obtained is the individual’s anxiety score. The scores obtained from the scale varies between 20 and 80. A high score shows a high level of anxiety.