THE EFFECT OF STORYTELLING ON ANXIETY LEVELS OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE PEDIATRIC WARD OF HERMINA DAAN MOGOT HOSPITAL

Abstract

Preschool-aged children (3–6 years) are active individuals, yet their immune systems are not fully developed, making them more susceptible to illness and hospitalization. Hospitalization is often a frightening experience for children and can trigger anxiety. If not managed properly, anxiety may negatively affect their psychological condition and hinder the healing process. One effective method to reduce anxiety is storytelling. This study aims to determine the effect of storytelling on anxiety levels in hospitalized preschool-aged children.This quantitative study employed a quasi-experimental design with a one-group pre-test and post-test approach. The statistical test used was the Paired t test, with a purposive sampling technique involving 34 preschool children. The results of the correlation using the Paired t-Test showed a Sig. (2-tailed) value of .000, indicating a significant difference between the level of anxiety before and after the intervention in the pre-test and post-test data.There is a statistically significant difference in anxiety levels before and after the storytelling intervention among preschool-aged children.