<![CDATA[The third trimester of pregnancy is a period that can increase stress and anxiety due to physical changes, pregnancy discomfort, and concerns about childbirth and the baby's condition. Safe and easy-to-implement non-pharmacological interventions are needed, one of which is MARC (Massage aromatherapy combination of Rosa oil and Cajapaut oil typical of Merauke). This study aims to determine the effectiveness of MARC in reducing stress and anxiety levels in pregnant women in the third trimester in Merauke Regency. The study used a randomized controlled trial design.This study used a quasi-experimental approach using a pretest-posttest control group design. The sampling technique used in this study was purposive sampling, a non-probability sampling method in which participants were selected based on predetermined inclusion criteria. Respondents were 34 pregnant women in their third trimester who met the research criteria. Stress and anxiety levels were measured before and after the intervention using the DASS-21 instrument. The DASS-21 instrument has demonstrated good construct validity and reliability in previous Indonesian research, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.84 for both the stress and anxiety subscales. Analysis was conducted to determine differences in stress and anxiety levels before and after MARC administration. The results showed that there were significant differences in stress levels (p value 0.003) and anxiety levels (p value 0.000) before and after MARC administration. The decrease in scores after the intervention indicated that MARC was effective in helping reduce stress and anxiety levels in pregnant women in their third trimester. MARC is effective in reducing stress and anxiety levels in pregnant women in their third trimester. MARC can be an alternative non-pharmacological intervention that supports maternal relaxation and comfort before labor.]]>
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