The Combined Impact of Sholawat Syifa and Oxytocin Massage in Lowering Postpartum Mothers’ Anxiety Levels

Vollständiger Abstract

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Mothers frequently experience anxiety during the postpartum period due to physical and psychological changes after childbirth and the demands of adapting to a new maternal role. If left unmanaged, postpartum anxiety may impair maternal mental health, interfere with breastfeeding, and delay recovery. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as oxytocin massage and reciting the Syifa' prayer, have been proposed as safe and supportive approaches to reducing anxiety. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of combining oxytocin massage and Syifa' prayer in reducing anxiety among postpartum mothers. A quasi-experimental study with a two-group pretest-posttest design was conducted. Thirty respondents were selected using simple random sampling and assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. Anxiety levels were measured using the PASS questionnaire. The intervention group received oxytocin massage combined with Syifa' prayer following a standardized protocol for 12 consecutive days. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare pre- and post-intervention anxiety levels within each group, while the Mann-Whitney test was used to compare post-intervention anxiety levels between groups. The results showed a descriptive reduction in anxiety scores among mothers in the intervention group; however, no statistically significant difference was found between the intervention and control groups (p = 0.389; p > 0.05). Although the combined intervention did not demonstrate a significant effect during the short intervention period, it remains a safe, simple, and culturally acceptable complementary therapy that supports holistic midwifery care. Future studies should involve larger samples, longer intervention periods, and control potential confounding variables, such as socioeconomic status, family support, and religious commitment, to better evaluate the intervention's effectiveness.