Light color temperature on stress, anxiety and well-being in high-risk pregnant women during the non-stress test: a randomized controlled trial

Increased frequency of fetal health assessment methods and uncertainties about their results cause high-risk pregnant women to experience increased stress and anxiety. This study aims to determine the effect of light color temperature on stress, anxiety and psychological well-being in high-risk pregnant women undergoing a non-stress test (NST). This randomized controlled experimental study included 100 high-risk pregnant women. The trial protocol was registered (Clinical trial number: NCT06736873, date: 12/05/2024). Data were collected through the Personal Information Form, the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The high-risk pregnant women in the intervention group underwent the non-stress test after the light color temperature was adjusted to medium-warm white. Significant improvements were observed between the intervention group’s PSS pre-test (32.16 ± 5.75) and post-test (27.12 ± 6.65), PWBS pre-test (26.78 ± 2.13) and post-test (28.46 ± 3.11), and STAI pre-test (58.62 ± 1.30) and post-test (51.60 ± 3.11) mean scores (p 0.05). This study indicates that in the intervention group, the use of light color temperature during the NST reduced stress and anxiety levels and enhanced psychological well-being levels in high-risk pregnant women. While the pre-post differences in the control group were not significant for the Perceived Stress Scale, they were significant for Psychological Well-Being and Anxiety, albeit with a minimal or unfavorable magnitude of change. NCT06736873 (Date: 12/05/2024).