Mindfulness Meditation Based on Spiritual Care to Reduce Community Anxiety due to the Impact of Pandemic Coronavirus Disease

A four-week randomized controlled trial in Surabaya, Indonesia, tested whether mindfulness meditation based on spiritual care could reduce anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the intervention, both the 61-person intervention group and the 61-person control group had severe anxiety (averages 17.28 and 17.18 on the DASS-42). After the intervention, the meditation group's average anxiety dropped to 6.03 (normal range), while the control group's average remained severe at 18.06. The difference between groups after the intervention was statistically significant, indicating that the spiritual-care-based mindfulness meditation effectively lowered community anxiety.

Study at a glance

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread throughout the world and has created a level of fear, uncertainty that has an impact on several aspects of life including mental health. The rapid spread of the Corona Virus or COVID-19 throughout the world has damaged the order of life starting from the economy, social, politics, education, culture, religion and health. Various efforts have been made by the Indonesian government with social distancing or physical distancing, washing hands with soap and staying active at home. Conditions that change suddenly will make people unprepared to deal with it, especially in the psychological condition of the Indonesian people who experience a lot of anxiety. AIM: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of mindfulness meditation based on spiritual care on the level of community anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This type of research uses experimental quantitative research using a randomized controlled trial research design. This research was conducted for 4 weeks in January-February 2021. The population of this study is the Surabaya community. The sampling technique used consecutive sampling technique and was divided into two groups, namely the intervention group as many as 61 respondents and the control group as many as 61 respondents. Data analysis used paired t test and independent t test with a significance value of p < 0.05. This research questionnaire uses the DASS 42 questionnaire has reliability 0.82 and the validity test gets the Cronbach alpha value is 0.85. RESULTS: The average level of anxiety before doing the spiritual care-based mindfulness meditation intervention in the intervention group was 17.28 (severe anxiety) and 17.18 in the control group (severe anxiety) with p = 1.000 which means there is no difference in the average level of anxiety whereas After being given the intervention, the average level of anxiety in the intervention group was 6.03 (normal anxiety) and 18.06 in the control group (severe anxiety) with p = 0.000, which means that there is a difference in the average level of anxiety in the intervention group and the control group after being given the intervention. CONCLUSION: Mindfulness meditation based on spiritual care can reduce people’s anxiety levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.