Title: Effect of Therapeutic Touch on Daytime Sleepiness, Stress and Fatigue

Mardin Artuklu University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Sleepiness; Fatigue; Stress

Treatments: Other: Therapeutic Touch; Other: Control group; Other: Sham Therapeutic Touch

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04515381

MAU.SRP.SH.005

Details and patient eligibility

About

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the effect of therapeutic touch on stress, daytime sleepiness, sleep quality and fatigue among the students of nursing and midwifery.

Design: Randomized placebo-controlled study.

Full description

The trial was conducted between April and July 2018. The students who met the inclusion criteria were separated into three groups through randomization method as in therapeutic touch (n=32), placebo (n=32) and control (n=32), and a total of 96 students participated in the study. In this randomized placebo controlled study, the therapeutic touch group were subjected to therapeutic touch for twice a week throughout 4 weeks with each session of 20 minutes. The data was acquired via Student Information Form, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Pittburgh Sleep Quality Index, Perceived Stress Scale and Visual Analogue Scale for Fatigue.

Enrollment: 104 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• students who were at and above the age of 18,
• were the 1st year, 2nd year, 3rd year or 4th year students of nursing or midwifery,
• did not receive any energy therapy (Reiki, healing touch, therapeutic touch),
• received a score above 10 from the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS),
• did not have any communication problem,
• and accepted to take part in the study were included in the study.

Exclusion criteria

• Students who were getting a psychologic and/or pharmacologic treatment in regard to their sleep, fatigue and stress problems,
• previously got a psychiatric diagnosis, still had a psychiatric illness,
• previously or still used anxiety (psychotropic) medicines were excluded from the study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

104 participants in 3 patient groups, including a placebo group

Therapeutic touch group

Experimental group

Description:

Each student from the Therapeutic touch (TT) group was given TT sessions via Krieger-Kunz method in a total of 8 times in the manner of twice a week for one group (Monday - Wednesday) and another group (Tuesday - Thursday) for a duration of 1 month (4 week). TT application procedure: The procedure was explained to the student, the student person was concentrated, concentrated practitioner for TT application, the student's entire body was evaluated from head to foot with the practitioner's hands at a distance of about 2 inc, hands were moved regularly and rhythmically to prevent imbalances in the energy field, the energy field was re-evaluated from top to bottom and rebalanced if there was a blocked area, finally, the student was left to rest and response to the treatment was observed. The TT sessions of 20 minutes were applied on the students and they were given a short rest at the end of the session

Treatment:

Other: Therapeutic Touch

Placebo group

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

For students in the placebo group, the similar duration (20 minutes) and frequency (2 sessions a week, total of 8 sessions) of TT was applied with hands at a certain distance from the body (approximately 5 cm) and they were moved without a specific order. The application was performed by the other researcher in a separate room to the placebo group.

Treatment:

Other: Sham Therapeutic Touch

Control group

Other group

Description:

There was no attempt being made towards the students within the control group. At the end of the 4th week, all students were asked to repeat measurements

Treatment:

Other: Control group