This study aimed to examine the effects abdominal breathing on anxiety and length of labor time in primipara women.

It was a quasiexperimental design with a non-equivalent comparison group, performed from October 11 to December 4, 2007. Thirty-six subjects who received pitocin and met the inclusion criteria were chosen by convenience sampling from the labor room of Y hospital located in Seoul. The intervention of abdominal breathing was 'four seconds of inhale, six seconds of exhale breathing method.' The abdominal breathing was carried out 30 times each when the uterine cervix was dilated 3~4cm and 5~6cm. Psychological anxiety was measured by VAS-A before and after the cervix dilatation to 3~4cm, and 5~6cm.

Anxiety scores of the experimental was found lower than that of the control group at 3~4cm(z=-3.05, p=.00) and 5~6cm(z=-2.04, p=.04) of cervix dilatation. However, the abdominal breathing was not effective to the length of labor from the active phase thru full dilatation, though there was 56 minutes of difference between the two groups.

Carrying out the abdominal breathing 30 times at two time points was effective in decreasing anxiety level during labor. Further study is suggested to examine the effects of abdominal breathing on labor time, fetal heart rate, and uterine contraction.