Foot Hydrotherapy: Non-pharmacology Treatment for Reducing Anxiety in Third Trimester Pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: This research aims to examine the effect of foot hydrotherapy as one of non-pharmacological therapies for reducing anxiety of pregnancy. Method: The reported study employed Quasi Experimental method by using two Group pretest-posttest design with comparison group. It involved 57 respondents who were recruited using consecutive sampling technique. Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) questionnaire was used to measure the respondents’ anxiety. For bivariate analysis, the data were tested using paired samples t-test and Independent T-test Result. The results of data analysis indicated that before the treatment, the anxiety values in the two groups were almost the same (21±2.3 dan 22.07±1.99). After the treatment in the intervention group, the anxiety value decreased while in the control group, the anxiety score was increased on the third day after the pretest measurement Data analysis which was conducted with Independent Sample t-test revealed that foot hydrotherapy using warm water reduced the anxiety level of pregnant women in the third trimester (p = 0,000). Conclusion: Giving foot hydrotherapy is effective for reducing anxiety in pregnant women. Therefore, the non-pharmacological therapy can be socialized and applied given to the public (society), especially pregnant women