The Impact of Mindfulness Butterfly Hug Therapy on Anxiety Levels in Hypertensive Elderly: Findings from a Pre-Experimental Study
Siti Juwariyah, Maya Cobalt Angio Septianingtyas, Vivi Sovianti
MEDICA June 30, 2026 DOI: 10.53770/medica.v8i6.1013 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 97 |
| Population | Elderly participants with hypertension from a community health center in Semarang, Indonesia |
| Intervention | Mindfulness Butterfly Hug Therapy |
| Duration | 15 minutes over three consecutive days |
| Measures | Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Intervention counseling Affect linguistics Rating scale Clinical psychology Disease Psychological intervention |
| Key findings | Mean HARS scores decreased from 31.94 to 16.53 after the intervention (mean difference = 15.41, p = 0.001), with most participants shifting to mild or no anxiety. The authors suggest the therapy may reduce anxiety but note causal conclusions cannot be drawn due to the one-group design. |
Abstract
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.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A PILOT STUDY OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) FOR COMBAT VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Veterans with chronic combat posttraumatic stress disorder seeking treatment at a VA... | 2013 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual comparison group | n = 37 |
| Being present in the face of existential threat: The role of trait mindfulness in reducing defensive responses to mortality salience. | 2010 | Experimental study | |
| Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief Healthy adults with no prior meditation experience | 2013 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 15 |
| Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience Community adults | 2009 | Quasi-experimental and longitudinal | n = 69 |
| Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment Volunteers | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 11 |