Abstract
Disaster survivors often experience multidimensional health issues, including pain, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and psychological trauma. These conditions require a recovery approach that addresses not only physical complaints but also psychological aspects. Evidence-based integrative acupuncture holds potential as a complementary intervention to support the recovery of post-disaster survivors. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of evidence-based integrative acupuncture on the recovery of clinical function and the reduction of psychological trauma among disaster survivors in Aceh. A mixed-methods design with a quasi-experimental approach was employed. Fifty disaster survivors aged ≥18 years were divided into an intervention group (n=25), receiving evidence-based integrative acupuncture periodically according to a standard protocol, and a control group (n=25), receiving standard post-disaster care. Study outcomes included pain intensity, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and psychological trauma, measured before and after the intervention. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. The intervention group showed reductions in scores for pain (from 6.32 to 3.24; change: −3.08), sleep disturbances (6.08 to 3.48; −2.60), fatigue (6.44 to 3.56; −2.88), and psychological trauma (21.16 to 11.72; −9.44). In the control group, the reductions were 0.84, 0.84, 0.96, and 2.92 points, respectively. Analysis of the differences in changes between the groups revealed significant results for pain (p=0.001), sleep disturbances (p=0.002), fatigue (p=0.001), and psychological trauma (p<0.001). Evidence-based integrative acupuncture demonstrates greater improvements compared to standard care across all examined indicators of clinical function and psychological trauma. These findings support the potential of integrative acupuncture as a complementary intervention for the recovery of disaster survivors, implemented in conjunction with medical and psychological services based on clinical needs.