The Effect of dhikr Therapy in Pregnant Women in the Third Trimester on Anxiety Before Childbirth

Abstract

Background: Anxiety before childbirth is a common psychological condition experienced by pregnant women in the third trimester and can negatively affect the labor process and outcomes. One non-pharmacological intervention that may help reduce anxiety is dhikr therapy, a spiritual relaxation technique involving the repetitive recitation of tasbih, tahmid, takbir, and tahlil in a calm and mindful manner. This study aimed to determine the effect of dhikr therapy on anxiety levels among third-trimester pregnant women before childbirth at independent midwife’s practice Yusari Asih Pringsewu, Lampung. Methods: This research employed a Pra-experimental design with a One Group Pretest–Posttest approach. A total of 35 third-trimester pregnant women were recruited using total sampling. The dhikr therapy intervention was administered for 14 days, with each session lasting 15–20 minutes. Anxiety levels were measured before and after the intervention using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test with a significance level of α = 0.05. Results: The results showed that before the intervention, most respondents experienced severe anxiety (60%). After completing the dhikr therapy sessions, anxiety levels decreased, with 51.4% experiencing mild anxiety and 34.3% reporting no anxiety. The Wilcoxon test yielded a p-value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), indicating a significant effect of dhikr therapy on reducing anxiety among third-trimester pregnant women before childbirth. In conclusion, dhikr therapy is effective in lowering anxiety levels and can be recommended as a spiritual, non-pharmacological intervention within midwifery care to enhance the mental and spiritual readiness of pregnant women approaching labor.