Journal of Health Sciences
Vol 19 No 01 (2026): Jurnal Ilmiah Kesehatan (Journal of Health Science) 

The Spiritual Emotional Freedom Technique (SEFT) Therapy Combined with Dhikr to Overcome Thanatophobia in the Older People

Retno, Retno Twistiandayani (Unknown)
Elfariyani, Adjeng Rizma (Unknown)
Revita, Natalia Christin Tiara (Unknown)
Chakim, Nur (Unknown)
Jassey, Babuacar (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
04 Feb 2026

Abstract

Older adults are a phase of human life accompanied by a decline in physical, psychological, and social conditions. These changes have the potential to cause mental health issues such as thanatophobia or an excessive and irrational fear of death. One way to overcome is through non-pharmacological therapy, the Spiritual Emotional Freedom Technique (SEFT) therapy, combined with dhikr. This study evaluates the effectiveness of SEFT therapy combined with dhikr as a complementary intervention in geriatric nursing on thanatophobia levels in older adults. It employed a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest design. There were 24 respondents with a total sampling technique. The independent variable was the combination of SEFT therapy and dhikr, and the dependent variable was the levels of thanatophobia. The instrument was a Thanatophobia questionnaire. Therapy was conducted in four sessions over a period of two weeks, with each session lasting between 30 and 60 minutes. Data analysis used the Wilcoxon signed-rank test with a significance level of p < 0.05. Pre- test results showed that most respondents experienced very high levels of thanatophobia (70.83%), with the average score reaching 45. After intervention, the average score dropped to 15, and most respondents (87.5%) fell into the mild thanatophobia levels. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test obtained a p-value of 0.000, indicating that the SEFT therapy and dhikr were significantly effective in reducing thanatophobia levels in respondents. The SEFT therapy combined with dhikr could be an alternative complementary nursing intervention in overcoming thanatophobia among older people.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jhs

Publisher

Subject

Nursing

Description

Jurnal Ilmiah Kesehatan (Journal of Health Science) publishing articles with various perspectives, including literature studies and field studies. This journal focus and scope are: Nursing Midwifery Medical Sanitation Public Health Nutrition Medical ...