Effectiveness of Mindfulness Spiritual Therapy with Murottal on Fatigue Among Hemodialysis Patients
Maelina Ariyanti, Heri Bahtiar, Hapipah Hapipah, Istianah Istianah, Ernawati Ernawati, D. Setiawati
Journal of Applied Nursing and Health July 29, 2026 DOI: 10.55018/janh.v8i2.657 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest study Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 18 |
| Population | Patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis at the Hemodialysis Unit of RSUD H. Moh. Ruslan Kota Mataram, Indonesia, predominantly middle-aged (55.6%), male (55.6%), and on hemodialysis for 1–3 years (72.2%) |
| Intervention | Mindfulness Spiritual Therapy with Murottal |
| Duration | Approximately 20 minutes per session, twice weekly for two consecutive weeks |
| Measures | Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Fatigue (FACIT-F) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Fatigue scores on the FACIT-F decreased from a mean of 27.51 at baseline to 21.32 after Mindfulness Spiritual Therapy with Murottal, a mean difference of 6.194 points (95% CI 5.181–7.208). The authors conclude the intervention may reduce fatigue in hemodialysis patients but caution that the one-group design cannot establish causality. |
Abstract
Background: Fatigue is one of the most prevalent and debilitating symptoms experienced by patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis, adversely affecting physical functioning, psychological well-being, and quality of life. Although mindfulness-based interventions and Qur’anic recitation (murottal) have individually demonstrated beneficial effects on psychological outcomes, evidence regarding their combined application for fatigue management remains limited. This study aimed to examine changes in fatigue levels following Mindfulness Spiritual Therapy with Murottal among patients with CKD undergoing hemodialysis.
Methods: This study was conducted in accordance with the Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs (TREND) statement using a quantitative pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design. The study was carried out in the Hemodialysis Unit of RSUD H. Moh. Ruslan Kota Mataram, Indonesia. Eighteen participants were recruited through purposive sampling. Mindfulness Spiritual Therapy with Murottal was administered for approximately 20 minutes per session, twice weekly for two consecutive weeks. Fatigue levels were assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Fatigue (FACIT-F) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the Shapiro–Wilk test and paired sample t-test.
Results: Participants were predominantly middle-aged (55.6%), male (55.6%), and had undergone hemodialysis for 1–3 years (72.2%). The mean fatigue score decreased from 27.51 ± 7.17 at baseline to 21.32 ± 5.77 following the intervention. Paired sample t-test analysis demonstrated a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest fatigue scores (mean difference = 6.194; 95% CI: 5.181–7.208; t = 12.899; p < 0.001). Participants who received Mindfulness Spiritual Therapy with Murottal experienced lower fatigue scores following the intervention.
Conclusion: Mindfulness Spiritual Therapy with Murottal may help reduce fatigue among patients undergoing hemodialysis by addressing psychological and spiritual aspects of care. However, due to the one-group pretest–posttest design, the findings should be interpreted cautiously and cannot establish causality. Further multicenter randomized controlled trials with larger samples are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |