The Effectiveness of Sandplay Therapy in Reducing Anxiety in Midlife Women With Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Indonesian women experience marginalization and demands for role performance based on cultural expectations and many are impacted by high anxiety. This study examines the effectiveness of sandplay therapy in reducing anxiety in Indonesian women diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The present study is an experimental, pre- and post- test design. The participants were 22 women, ages 35 to 50, seeking counseling in an outpatient treatment setting and diagnosed with GAD. The sample was selected based on diagnostic criteria and randomly divided into two groups (11 people in experimental group and 11 people in wait list control group). Before and after 10 treatment sessions of sandplay therapy, all participants were tested using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scales (HAM-A) to measure anxiety. Results show a significant difference (p<.05) between the experimental and control groups. The experimental group experienced a large decrease of anxiety ( M = -16.68, SD = 11.813) compared to the control group ( M = 7.32, SD = 5.737). The mean difference is significant, t (20): -6.061, p<.05, Cohen's D = 2.58. The results indicate there was a significant effect of the sandplay therapy in reducing GAD symptoms. Therefore, the findings suggest that sandplay therapy is an effective treatment in reducing anxiety in Indonesian women age 35-50 years old diagnosed with GAD.