An Effect of Breath Dhikr on the Stress Level of Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Introduction: Pulmonary tuberculosis is an infectious chronic disease that can cause a stress condition on patients, such as the symptoms of tuberculosis disease, the long treatment process with a large amount of drugs, daily activity disruption, job loss and death threats. Unresolved stress can lead to irritability, anxiety, negative thinking, despair and helplessness. Some even blame God. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of dhikr breath on the stress levels of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in the public health centres of Tanah Kalikedinding Surabaya. Method: A quasi-experimental design method with pre- and post-control groups was used. There was a treatment group and a control group; each group consisted of 16 respondents. The data analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test and the Mann Whitney U test with a significance level of p <0.05. Results: The result of the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test showed that the stress level of the treatment group had significance with p=0.000. The control group had no significance; p=0.317. The Mann Whitney U test showed the differences in the stress levels post-intervention with p=0,000. Discussion: Dzikir breath was a positive stimulus that affected the cognator process according to Roy’s adaptation theory in the form of merging dhikr and breath, which is aimed at realizing God. Further research is expected to use cortisol measurements to obtain more accurate results. This should be performed at stress levels in other chronic disease patients. Conclusion: Breath Dzikir is a spiritual therapy that can change stress into eustress (positive stress) and decrease the stress level of pulmonary tuberculosis patients overall. Keywords: Breath Dzikir, Stress, Pulmonary Tuberculosis