THE EFFECT OF SPIRITUAL EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE (SEFT) THERAPY ON PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA INTENSITY

Abstract

Abstract Background : Dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain) can be experienced by more than half of women who are menstruating with varying prevalence. For about 50% of all women in the world suffer with dysmenorrhea in a menstrual cycle. Patients report pain during menstruation, where as many as 49% of light menstrual pain, 37% of moderate menstrual pain and 12% of menstrual pain is severe, which causes them to be unable to carry out any activities there by reducing the quality of life in eachindividual. Spiritual Emotional Freedom Technique (SEFT) therapyis non-pharmacological management to reducedysmenorrhea. The working principle of SEFT is as simple as acupuncture technique that works directly on the body’s meridian points. As the technique,it combines the body energy system (energy medicine) and spiritual therapy by using tapping at certainpoints on the body. This healing technique can healemotionally and can also heal the symptoms of physicalillness, including symptoms of dysmenorrhea. The objective of the research is to determine the effect of SEFT therapy on the intensity of primary dysmenorrhea. While, the benefits of this research is to make it easier for women to reduce the intensity of pain in primary dysmenorrhea so that students can optimize their activities without the problem of dysmenorrhea.

Methods : This research used quasi-experimental with one group pretest-posttest design approach by giving SEFT treatment to one intervention group, then the participants were observed before and after the intervention on the intensity of primary dysmenorrhea using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) form. There were 36 people who became the sample of this research. The participants were chosen because they have experienced dysmenorrhea according to the inclusion criteria. Marginal Homogenity Test was used to analyze the effect of SEFT therapy on the intensity of primary dysmenorrhea.

Results : The result showed that before given SEFT therapy, there were 24 respondents (66.7%) who experienced moderate pain intensity and there were 4 respondents (11.1%) who experienced severe pain intensity. However, after given the therapy, there were 33 respondents (91.7%) who experienced mild pain intensity and there were no respondents who experienced pain in the severe category.. This research shows that there is an effect of SEFT therapy on the decrease in the intensity of primary dysmenorrhea, the value of Asymp. Sig (2-tailed) p of 0.00 (p <0.05). Conclusion : Based on the results of the research, it is expected that each midwives can make SEFT therapy as an alternative care for women to prevent primary dysmenorrhea and it can be socialized to community that SEFT therapy is an alternative treatment to reduce primary dysmenorrhea, because this therapy is relatively safe and not using drugs.