Ibadah dan Doa Sebagai Mekanisme Koping Spiritual Ibu dalam Asuhan Kebidanan: Kajian Literatur Sistematis

Abstract

Spiritual dimensions of health, particularly prayer and religious worship, are increasingly recognized as significant factors in patient coping, pain management, and overall wellbeing. In midwifery care, where women face profound physical and existential challenges during pregnancy and childbirth, spiritual support may represent an underutilized yet highly effective complementary intervention. This systematic literature review aims to synthesize evidence on the role of prayer and worship as spiritual coping mechanisms in illness management within midwifery care, examine their psychological, physiological, and social mechanisms, and identify implications for midwifery education and practice in Indonesia. A total of 1,254 articles were identified from six databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Portal Garuda) using PRISMA 2020 protocol; after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria and thematic synthesis, 75 articles were included for analysis. Four major themes emerged: (1) prayer as a psychological coping mechanism that reduces maternal anxiety and enhances self-efficacy during labor; (2) physiological pathways through which prayer modulates the autonomic nervous system, reduces cortisol, and facilitates smoother delivery via neuroendocrine mechanisms; (3) social dimensions of prayer that strengthen family and community support networks, reducing postpartum depression risk; and (4) practical models for integrating spiritual care into standard midwifery practice. Findings consistently support the integration of spiritual assessment and prayer facilitation into antenatal and intrapartum care protocols. The article recommends formal spiritual care competency training for midwives and the development of evidence-based spiritual care guidelines appropriate to Indonesia's predominantly Muslim context.