The effect of caring touch on the psychological well-being of selected residents of a long-term care facility.

Abstract

This study examined the effect of caring touch on the psychological well-being of selected residents of a long-term care facility in suburban South Carolina. Using a quasi-experimental design of pre-test and post-test, with experimental and control groups, Bradburn's Affect-Balance Scale (ABS) was used to measure well-being in 19 people, nine of whom received two interventions of hand massage. Paired and two-sample t-tests were used to examine groups means and difference scores. Subjective data indicated positive responses to touch, although no statistically significant improvement in ABS scores occurred, suggesting a need for design and outcome measurement changes.