Effectiveness of combination of benson relaxation and lavender aromatherapy relaxation towards changes in anxiety in the third trimester pregnant woman

Abstract

Introduction: Anxiety is one of the complaints that affect the psychological health of pregnant women. Long-lasting anxiety will negatively affect the mother and fetus, so it must be treated as soon as possible. The only option is non-pharmacological therapy, which involves using a combination of Benson relaxation and aromatherapy to relax so that it suppresses body tension feelings. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of the combination of Benson relaxation and lavender aromatherapy relaxation on changes in anxiety in third trimester pregnant women. Methods: The design of this study used a quasi-experimental design with a one group pretest posttest design using a Consecutive sampling technique. This research was conducted on the third trimester pregnant women in the Wonokromo, Surabaya as many as 52 third trimester pregnant women. In the combination treatment of Benson relaxation and lavender aromatherapy relaxation, it was carried out 2 times a day for 1 week. Anxiety level data were collected using a HARS (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale) questionnaire according to the level of anxiety. Data analysis used the Wilcoxon rank test. Results: According to the analysis of this study's data, there is a combination of Benson relaxation and aromatherapy relaxation given to pregnant women in the third trimester (p < 0.05, p value = 0.000). Conclusion: Pregnant women who feel anxiety can utilize the combined therapy of Benson relaxation and lavender aromatherapy relaxation to lower their anxiety levels. This alternative therapy is simple to administer and has few negative effects.