<![CDATA[Background: Caregivers of individuals with severe mental disorders provide daily care, emotional support, and medication management, placing them at risk of psychological distress and reduced quality of life. Acupressure, a healing touch therapy, may help reduce psychological distress and promote relaxation. This study aimed to examine the effect of acupressure therapy on depression, anxiety, and stress among caregivers of individuals with severe mental disorders in Sawit District, Boyolali Regency.Methods: This quantitative study used a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design. Participants were assigned to an intervention group (n = 36), which received acupressure therapy at the EX-HN3, HT7, GV20, LR3, PC6, and GB21 acupoints for three weeks, or a control group (n = 36) that received no intervention. Depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed before and after the intervention using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-42).Result: Acupressure did not significantly reduce depression (p-value = 0.108) or anxiety (p-value = 0.550), based on changes between pre-test and post-test scores (Δ), suggesting a possible Hawthorne effect. However, it significantly reduced stress among caregivers of individuals with severe mental disorders (p-value= 0.013), with the intervention group showing a greater reduction in stress than the control group.Conclusion: Further studies controlling for potential confounding variables are needed. Training in self-administered acupressure may enable caregivers to use acupressure as a non-pharmacological coping strategy for stress management.]]>
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