CONTEXT: Reiki is considered an effective, side-effect-free, and non-invasive method to alleviate anxiety. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Reiki on the anxiety levels of mothers with hospitalized children. METHOD: This three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial included 120 mothers with hospitalized children who were divided into 3 equal-sized groups. Over 2 weeks, the Reiki group (n = 40) received 4 sessions (45 minutes each) of Reiki, the placebo group (n = 40) received sham Reiki, and the control group (n = 40) received no intervention. The anxiety levels of the participants were assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) before and after the intervention. RESULTS: After receiving four Reiki sessions over two weeks, the anxiety levels of those in the Reiki group were statistically significantly lower than those in the placebo and control groups (Reiki group 43.25 ± 2.93, placebo group 51.13 ± 12.15, and control group 51.03 ± 9.27
p = 0.001). Regarding the intragroup STAI-S score changes, only the mean pre-intervention score of the Reiki group was higher compared to the post-test score, and this difference was statistically significant (t = 4.209, p = 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the placebo and control groups (p >
0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study suggested that Reiki treatment significantly reduced the anxiety levels of the mothers with hospitalized children who received it compared to those who did not (the placebo and control groups).