Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
Findings and Conclusions
Although minorities constitute only 7.9 % of Wyoming’s population,
63% of those who volunteered to participate were either African-or
Mexican-American.
Despite the stress and burden that caregivers routinely experience,
the majority of participants (n = 9) did not see providing massage
to their loved one as a burden. The two who did received poor
feedback from their loved ones and were fatigued from work and
saw it as “one more thing to do”. None of the participants were able
to give the massage intervention to their loved ones every day. The
major barriers were fatigue, stressful life events (including family
illness and moving), busy schedules, forgetfulness because it was
not part of an established and poor timing. When the chronically ill
family members were ambulatory and able to verbalize their
preferences, they sometimes asked for the massage at an
inopportune time for the caregivers.
Participants who gave the massage intervention more frequently
were able to work it into their caregiving routine and received “feel
good” feedback from the massage recipients. Some, especially
caregivers who worked outside the home, provided the massage in
the evenings. The mother of a child with cerebral palsy found that
providing massage was most beneficial after her child’s warm bath,
which set a relaxing pre-bedtime tone that was enhanced by the
massage. Another woman massaged her mother just before her
afternoon nap because it relaxed her and help her sleep better.
The predominant emergent theme was that of a personal, physical
connection between the caregiver and care recipient. Most
caregivers enjoyed giving the massage, which enabled them to
physically do something beneficial for their loved one on a personal
level, and provided a concrete connection between the two that was
calming and relaxing.
Analysis of the between subjects effects of the Brief POMS data
revealed an extreme variation in scores (F=15.303, significant level
of .003). The within-subjects contrast of scores F=3.836,
significance level of .079) is not statistically significant, but does
suggest that there may be a difference in individuals’ mood state
from the beginning to the end of the intervention.
Discussion
Study results indicate that rural-dwelling caregivers are willing to
learn and provide gentle massage to their loved ones and that
providing this care may improve their mood states. Touch
interventions and/or participation in touch therapy studies may be
particularly acceptable to minority populations. Caregivers more
likely to find participation burdensome were challenged by lack of
time, fatigue, and minimal verbal or nonverbal feedback from the
massage recipient. Teaching rural caregivers to provide massage to
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