EFT Psychoeducation Program to Reduce Anxiety Levels in PLWHA

Abstract

HIV/AIDS infections are having the characteristics of chronic and terminal diseases and cause a weakening of the body's ability to fight infections that occur in the body. PLWHA experience both major physiological and psychosocial stressors such as difficult life experiences, decreased quality of life, and the emergence of stigma attached to individuals. They tend to experience more anxiety than the general population. EFT is a method that can be used to reduce anxiety levels by lightly tapping the fingertips on the body's meridian points followed by thoughts reprocessing and acceptance therapy to overcome negative emotions and thoughts. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of EFT to reduce anxiety in PLWHA. The method used is an experimental one-group pretest-posttest design. The participants in this study were eight volunteers from the Yayasan Sehat Peduli Kasih (YS Peka) which focuses on social support and rehabilitation services for PLWHA. The data analyzed using a statistical test of Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test between the pretest and posttest showed a significant decrease in anxiety (Z = -2.539, p<.05). The recommendation given to PLWHA is to practice doing EFT independently to help overcome anxiety.

Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Anxiety; Emotional Freedom Technique; Human Immunodeficiency Virus; Psychoeducation