Abstract

Scant attention has been given to help spouses of cancer patients reduce stress associated with their partner's illness. Stress-induced immune function change may be the link between stress and illness. A significant decrease in natural killer cell activity (NKCA) and a high incidence of stress-related disorders, depression, loneliness, and marital disruption have been reported in spouses of cancer patients. Therapeutic back massage (TBM) is an intervention that may be beneficial in reducing stress in spouses of cancer patients. TBM is a systematic form of touch that manipulates soft tissues of the body to promote relaxation. Interventions that induce relaxation have had a positive effect on NKCA. This between group experimental design measured spouses of cancer patients (N = 42) randomly assigned to two groups (intervention, control) at three time points (pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 20 minutes post-intervention). Mood, perceived stress, heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and NKCA were measured at the three time points to examine the effects of TBM.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 9998551; ProQuest document ID: 304642660. The author still retains copyright.

Author Details

Linda M. Goodfellow-Kruth, PhD, RN, FAAN

Sigma Membership

Epsilon Phi, Eta Epsilon

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Randomized Controlled Trial

Research Approach

Quantitative Research

Keywords:

Patient Stress, Stress and Immunity, Spouses of Cancer Patients

Advisor

Cathy Bender

Degree

PhD

Degree Grantor

University of Pittsburgh

Degree Year

2000

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2020-05-06

Full Text of Presentation

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