Title: Effect of Therapeutic Touch on Daytime Sleepiness, Stress and Fatigue
- Conditions
- FatigueStressSleepiness
- Interventions
- Other: Sham Therapeutic TouchOther: Therapeutic TouchOther: Control group
- Registration Number
- NCT04515381
- Lead Sponsor
- Mardin Artuklu University
- Brief Summary
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.
- Detailed 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.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 104
- 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.
- 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.
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Placebo group Sham Therapeutic Touch 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. Therapeutic touch group Therapeutic Touch 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 Control group Control group 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
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Change from baseline and 4 weeks. In PSQI analysis, 18 items were scored and there are 7 categories as in subjective sleep quality, delayed sleep, sleep duration, accustomed sleep activity, sleep disorder, use of sleeping pill and daytime dysfunction. Total score varies from 0 to 21. If the total PSQI score is ≤5, it stands for "good sleep quality", and if the score is \>5, it stands for "bad sleep quality"
Change in Perceived Stress Scale Change from baseline and 4 weeks. The score of PSS-10 varied from 0 to 40. High score shows the excessiveness of the perceived stress of the individual
Change in Visual Analogue Scale Change from baseline and 4 weeks. The scale of fatigue is a scale of 10 cm that assesses the severity of the fatigue in the last week. The left side of the scale contains the label of "I do not feel fatigue", while the right side of the scale contains the label of "I Feel Extreme Fatigue and Exhaustion". VASF value is determined through the measurement of the distance between the very left side of the scale and the marked point
Change in Epworth Sleepiness Scale Change from baseline and 4 weeks. The scale consists of 8 items and score varies from 0-24. If the total score is between 2-10, it is considered as normal, pathological sleepiness indicator is greater than 10, thirteen and higher values are considered excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Mardin Artuklu University
🇹🇷Mardin, Turkey