Counterpressure Therapy for Active Phase Labor Pain in Bengkulu City
TL;DR
Findings indicate a within-group change in reported labor pain intensity following counterpressure therapy among women in the active phase of the first stage of labor at a clinic in Bengkulu City, however, this cannot be interpreted as definitive evidence of the intervention's causal effect.
Abstract
Labor pain is a common concern during childbirth, particularly as uterine contractions become more intense during the active phase of labor. Non-pharmacological approaches such as counterpressure may provide supportive pain management during labor. This study aimed to examine changes in labor pain intensity before and after counterpressure therapy among women in the active phase of the first stage of labor at a clinic in Bengkulu City. A quantitative quasi-experimental study with a single-group pretest-posttest design was conducted among 22 women with cervical dilatation of 4–6 cm. Participants were selected using purposive sampling during December 12–31, 2025. Pain intensity was assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale before and after the intervention. The mean pain intensity score was 4.9545 before the intervention and 3.5000 after the intervention, with a mean difference of 1.4545 points. The Shapiro-Wilk test indicated a non-normal data distribution (p<0.001); therefore, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used, which showed a statistically significant difference between pre-intervention and post-intervention pain scores (p=0.007). In conclusion, these findings indicate a within-group change in reported labor pain intensity following counterpressure therapy among women in the active phase of the first stage of labor at a clinic in Bengkulu City. However, because the study did not include a control group, the observed change cannot be interpreted as definitive evidence of the intervention's causal effect.