The Impact of Mindfulness Butterfly Hug Therapy on Anxiety Levels in Hypertensive Elderly: Findings from a Pre-Experimental Study
https://doi.org/10.53770/medica.v8i6.1013
Keywords
Anxiety Butterfly Hug Elderly Hypertension MindfulnessAbstract
Psychological distress, particularly anxiety, is common among elderly individuals with hypertension and may negatively affect their quality of life and disease management. This study aimed to examine changes in anxiety levels following Mindfulness Butterfly Hug Therapy among hypertensive elderly individuals. A pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was conducted involving 97 elderly participants with hypertension from a community health center in Semarang, Indonesia. Participants received Mindfulness Butterfly Hug Therapy for 15 minutes over three consecutive days. Anxiety levels were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests. The results demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in anxiety scores, with mean HARS scores decreasing from 31.94 before the intervention to 16.53 after the intervention (mean difference = 15.41, p = 0.001). Most participants shifted from higher levels of anxiety to mild or no anxiety following the intervention. These findings suggest that Mindfulness Butterfly Hug Therapy may be associated with reduced anxiety levels among hypertensive elderly individuals and may serve as a practical non-pharmacological approach in community healthcare settings. However, due to the use of a one-group pretest-posttest design without a comparison group, causal conclusions cannot be drawn. Further controlled studies are warranted to confirm these findings and assess long-term outcomes.
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