Journal of Educational Sciences
Vol. 9 No. 5 (2025): Journal of Educational Sciences

Effectiveness of Hydrotherapy Interventions for Students with Aquaphobia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Santoso, Januar Abdilah (Unknown)
Santoso, Puji (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Sep 2025

Abstract

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of hydrotherapy interventions for students with aquaphobia across educational settings. Despite the importance of water safety skills, aquaphobia remains a significant barrier to swimming competence among students worldwide. A comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed studies (2018-2025) was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Electronic databases (PubMed, ERIC, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus) were searched to identify studies examining hydrotherapy interventions for school-aged participants with aquaphobia. Studies were included if they used experimental or quasi-experimental designs, reported quantitative outcomes, and focused on educational settings. Meta-analysis using random-effects models was conducted to calculate pooled effect sizes. Results showed that mindfulness-integrated hydrotherapy demonstrated highest effectiveness (g = 0.96), followed by cognitive-behavioral hydrotherapy (g = 0.83), adaptive aquatic programs (g = 0.79), virtual reality-assisted exposure (g = 0.72), and graded exposure therapy (g = 0.66). Interventions were most effective for younger children (5-8 years) and longer programs (≥12 weeks). These findings provide evidence-based recommendations demonstrating that mindfulness-integrated and cognitive-behavioral approaches are most effective for students with aquaphobia in educational settings.

Copyrights © 2025






Journal Info

Abbrev

JES

Publisher

Subject

Religion Humanities Education Library & Information Science Other

Description

JES publishes original articles on the latest issues and trends occurring regionally and internationally in the educational sciences with the aim to advance our knowledge both in term of theory and practice. Moreover, this journal also covers the issues concerned with the following special sections: ...