Efficacy of therapeutic touch in treating pregnant inpatients who have a chemical dependency.

Larden CN, Palmer ML, Janssen P.

British Columbia Women's Hospital, British Columbia, Canada.

Chemical dependency is known to complicate about 3.8% of pregnancies in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In this study, 54 English-speaking, hospitalized women were randomly assigned to receive either (a) daily Therapeutic Touch over a 7-day period for 20 minutes each day, (b) shared activity with a registered nurse for 20 minutes over a 7-day period, or (c) standard ward care. Anxiety was measured using Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Withdrawal symptoms were measured using a standardized Symptom Checklist. Anxiety scores were significantly less on Days 1, 2, and 3 (p<.05) for the group receiving Therapeutic Touch. Therapeutic Touch may be of value as an adjunctive measure in the treatment of chemical dependency among pregnant women.

Publication Types:

    * Clinical Trial
    * Randomized Controlled Trial


PMID: 15486152 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Courtesy:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15486152?dopt=Abstract