THE EFFECTS OF SPIRITUAL COUNSELING ON THE ANXIETY LEVEL OF PATIENT’S FAMILY AT THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU) OF dr. DRADJAT PRAWIRANEGARA HOSPITAL IN SERANG, BANTEN PROVINCE, INDONESIA

Abstract

Background: Critical nursing is a specific service in giving a holistic nursing service to fulfill human response to a life-threatening problem. A critical nurse can give a social support to patient’s family through assessment, counseling, and supporting group. Counseling is combination between high technology physical caring and emotional caring, which is needed by patients and the family. Spiritual counseling is a complementary medication preferred by the family of patient who is in acute and critical care.Objective: The study intends to identify the effects of spiritual counseling on the anxiety level of patient’s family at the ICU of dr. Dradjat Prawiranegara Hospital in Serang, Banten Province.Methods: The study is a pre-experimental research with one group pre-test and post-test design. The samples are 25 respondents who were selected by using consecutive sampling technique during one month (May to June 2016). The data of anxiety level were collected by using HAR-S (Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety) questionnaire. Then the data was analyzed by using parametrical t-test paired sample for the variable of anxiety before and after giving spiritual counseling. Meanwhile, the variable of respondent characteristics to anxiety was analyzed by using independent sample test.Results: The study finds that the mean of respondents’ anxiety level before spiritual counseling is 33.44 and the standard deviation is 5.213. Meanwhile, after conducting spiritual counseling, the mean is 18.60 and the standard deviation (SD) is 2.582. Bivariate analysis result shows a significant difference between anxiety level of patient’s family in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) before and after conducting spiritual counseling in which p value is 0.000, the mean is 14.840, and SD is 5.437.Conclusion: Nurses should be more capable in implementing the intervention of spiritual counseling to patient’s family. Spiritual counseling can give a positive alteration to the family emotional situation. It impacts on the decrease of patient’s family anxiety level. By the decrease of family anxiety level, the possibility of doing mistake in decision-making is expected to be avoided.