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STRESS AND COPING The latest research on Healing Touch to assist with stress and coping with college students and nursing students. More complete information about these studies is available in the Healing Touch International Research Survey. [MORE...] Comparison of Healing Touch and Coaching for Enhancing Holistic Comfort and Reducing Symptoms of Stress in Young College Students, Theses Dowd, PhD, RN, HTP, K. Kolcaba, PhD, RN, Diane Fashinpaur, MSN, RN and R. Steiner, PhD This study addressed the need for effective, non-invasive, and inexpensive nursing interventions for students needing help with stress management. Two interventions for stress reduction, coaching and healing touch, were compared individually and combined to a no treatment (wait list) over a three week period. The sample consisted of 58 students, randomly assigned to one of the four groups. All of the intervention groups (Healing Touch, Coaching, and Combination) had increased comfort levels. The Coaching group had the highest level comfort scores, overall. Healing Touch lowered stress the most. Overtime, there was an average “dampening” effect for stress and comfort levels in all of the groups The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Healing Touch on state/trait anxiety, and heart rate, blood pressure, skin conductance/resistance, skin temperature, and oxyhemoglobin in otherwise healthy adults. Before and after a Healing Touch session findings indicated changes in all measures that suggest a relaxation response, with the exception of skin conductance/resistance. A randomized control test of 56 students at a university received Healing Touch or sham Healing Touch. There was no statistically significant difference between the treatment group and the control group. All students that participated in this study said that they felt less stress. All but three students from the control group, whether they thought they were in the control group or the treatment group, said that the relaxation did not last throughout the week. However, most of the students in the treatment group, whether they thought they were in the treatment group or the control group expressed how the sessions had a lasting effect for them throughout the weeks. The Effects of Healing Touch on the Coping Ability, Self Esteem and General Health of Undergraduate Nursing Students, Bev Taylor, PhD This study reported on 51 participants. There was no effect of Healing Touch on the coping ability, self-esteem and general health of first year students, but there were significant effects for the third year students in the experimental group. The qualitative findings showed that all participants in the experimental group found the experience positive and reported feeling relaxed, good, better able to study and think, more open-minded; noticed positive changes in sleeping patterns; and were in less of a hurry. A tentative conclusion was drawn by the author that Healing Touch is effective. |
