The Effect of Reiki Practice on Stress and Anxiety Level in Nurses: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Objective: Nursing is a profession with intense work- ing hours. This intense work schedule can cause anxiety and stress for nurses. Therefore, this study was carried out to examine the effects of reiki application on stress and anxiety levels in nurses. Material and Methods: The research was carried out as a quasi-experimental study with pretest and posttest control groups. The research was between May 2021 and September 2022, with nurses actively working in a hospital located in the southeast of Türkiye. A total of 128 nurses who volun- teered were included in the study. The participants were divided into 2 groups, 64 to the reiki group and 64 to the control group. Data were collected using the Individual Information Form, Perceived Stress Scale, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Descriptive statistics, Shapiro-Wilk test of normality, independent samples t-test, Pearson chi-square or Fisher exact test was used. Results: In terms of the descriptive charac- teristics of the nurses, no statistically significant difference was found between the reiki and control groups in terms of gender, marital status, education level, unit of employment, length of service, satisfaction with the profession and age (p>0.05). It was found that reiki application re- duced the stress and anxiety scores of nurses and the difference be- tween the groups was significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: It has been observed that the reiki practice applied in nurses effectively reduces their stress and anxiety levels. In line with these results, it can be rec- ommended that the use of reiki as an independent nursing practice should be expanded not only to patients but also to different sample groups such as nurses.