The effect of mindfulness therapy on the pregnant women’s anxiety level in facing childbirth

ABSTRACT

Background: The health improvement for pregnant women in antenatal phase is not only focused on maintaining physical health, but also the psychological health. One of the factors of maternal psychological health is anxiety. Anxiety is common in pregnant women caused by maternal concerns about complications that accompany the mother and her fetus. The increasing anxiety in pregnant women can have an impact on pregnancy complications. Therefore an intervention is needed to overcome anxiety in pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of mindfulness therapy on the anxiety level of pregnant women in labor.Methods: This study uses a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test with control group. Implemented in the Public Health Center working area like Sleman in August-September 2018. There were 26 participants selected using purposive sampling, with 13 assigned in experiment and control groups. The questionnaire used is Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire-Revised 2. Independent sample t-test used for data analysis.Results: There was a significant difference in the mean of anxiety score after the intervention in the experimental group compared to the control group with a value of p=0.017 (p<0.05). The mean of anxiety score after intervention in the control group was 32.00, while the average of anxiety score after intervention in the experimental group was 24.54.Conclusions: Giving mindfulness therapy to pregnant women is able to reduce maternal anxiety levels significantly in facing labor.