<![CDATA[Background: Hospitalization is a common event in children and can be a traumatic experience for children, which can cause tension and fear and can cause emotional or behavioral disturbances weeks or months after the child leaves the house. Playing in preschool-age children is an important activity and can make children free from the tension and stress experienced, one form of play that is appropriate for children Preschool is playing puzzles. Puzzle is a game that is useful to reduce anxiety levels in children. Objective: To determine the effect of puzzle play therapy on reducing anxiety in preschool-age children who are hospitalized in the Nakula Sadewa room of RSUD Bantul. Method: The research design used was a case study design on An.E with anxiety problems due to hospitalization. Puzzle therapy interventions were carried out four consecutive days with a time of 15-20 minutes each puzzle play therapy intervention. Theinstruments used to measure anxiety levels are the Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) with criteria of mild anxiety (<28), moderate anxiety (28-56), severe anxiety (57-84) and panic anxiety ( >85) . Results: The results of the case study showed a decrease in anxiety scores in children. On the first day before the puzzle therapy intervention, the child's anxiety level was at a score of 54 ( moderate anxiety), after four puzzle therapy The day in a row the child's anxiety level dropped to a score of 21 (mild anxiety). Conclusion: The application of puzzle therapy in An.E can reduce the anxiety level of preschool-age children who experience anxiety due to hospitalization.]]>
