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Research shows Massage reduces anxiety levels
THE EFFECTS OF MASSAGE ON THE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF ACADEMIC
STRESS
JULIA M. ROBINSON
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
MISSOURI WESTERN STATE COLLEGE
ABSTRACT
Massage is one of the oldest medicines known to man. Stress is a major part of the academic life.
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This study was conducted to find any effects massage may have on academic stress symptoms of heart rate, respiration and hand temperature. Six participants were placed in a control group of a ten minute relaxation break and the experiment of a ten minute massage. Before and after the control and experiment, participants were given a timed examination to create academic stress. Data showed there was a significant decrease in pulse after the massage.
INTRODUCTION
The Effects of Massage on the Physical Symptoms
Of Academic Stress
Touch is one of the oldest known medical treatments known in the world. Touch therapy is described in the Ayer-Veda, the earliest known medical text from India (around 1800 B.C.), along with diet and exercise as primary healing practices of the time (Older, 1982). Hippocrates, in 400 B.C., described medicine as “the art of rubbing.” Older (1982) describes exotic uses of massage in contemporary cultures. He noted that in Samoa massage is used for every ailment from diarrhea to migraines using mixtures of plants, flowers from trees, roots and coconut milk. In Cuba, garlic and oil are applied to the stomach after “a meal lodged in the stomach where it causes pain and fever” (Older, 1982).
Massage is by definition the systematic manipulation of soft tissues of the body to enhance health and healing. Massage may be used to affect body structures. Relaxing specific muscles through rubbing can increase the range of motion at a joint. It can also be used to affect more general body processes such as general relaxation and growth and development of infants (Tappan & Benjamin, 1998).
Schanberg and Field (1987) found a decrease in a noted growth hormone when rat pups were removed from their mothers.
The decrease was observed in all body organs including the heart, liver and brain. The growth hormone returned to normal levels when the rat pups were stimulated using a technique of using a wet paintbrush simulating the licking behavior of the mother.
A study done by Field (1986) found preterm infants gained 47% more weight and went home an average of six days sooner when given 15 minutes massages three times a day for ten days while still in the incubator than the infants who did not receive a massage while still in the incubator. In another study headed by Field (1992), hospitalized depressed children and adolescents who received massages were reported as less depressed and less anxious as well as having lower levels of stress hormones in urine and saliva samples than that of those children who watched relaxing videotapes. In addition to having lower hormone stress levels, the children were also taped while sleeping and those who had massages had better sleeping patterns than the children who watched the relaxing video.
In the above studies, the main component each of the subjects faced being animal or human was some component of stress. Hans Selye (1956), the first major stress researcher, defined stress as essentially the rate of wear and tear on the body. Stress in any change that a person must adapt to. The changes can be from the extreme negative of physical danger to the positive of achieving a long desired goal.
Selye found that any problem, real or imagined, results in the cerebral cortex (the thinking part of the brain) to send an alarm to the hypothalamus (the main switch for stress response). The hypothalamus then stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to make changes in the body. Heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension and blood pressure all increase. Hands and feet get cold as blood is directed away from extremities and digestive system. Pupils dilate to sharpen vision and hearing also becomes more acute. At one time in the lives of the human race, these changes were an alarm system that prepared our body stay and fight or to flee from the stressful situation. This alarm system was the difference of eating or being the eaten.
Today, there is no longer the danger of being the eaten but stressful situations still play a large part of society, especially those in an academic setting.
The academic setting is facing a major trend of high levels of student stress. The changes affecting students are being away from parents and home for the first time, handling financial matters and competition for grades (Fisher 1994).
In the academic setting, stress impacts performance as well as attention. Errors, lack of concentration, and ‘drifting’ are all associated with negative stress.
A study done by Misra and McKean (2000) found females experience more self-imposed academic stress and also suffer from more physical symptoms than males do. However, females showed more effective time management skills thus reducing stress levels. This study also finds a positive benefit of leisure activities by reducing academic stress in college students.
Field and Ironsen (1996) investigated the effect of massage on alertness, measured by EEG and speed and precision of math computation. This study showed the massage group had increased speed and accuracy on the math computation while the control group or the subjects who did not receive the massage did not show improvement on speed or accuracy.
The purpose of this study is to find any differences in the physical stress symptoms, hand temperature, heart rate and blood pressure after receiving a massage.
METHOD
PARTICIPANTS
Data for this study was collected from 6 participants of various ages and grade levels enrolled in CED 178 Stress Management class at Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, Missouri.
MATERIALS
Two 17-question tests were given to create the situation of academic stress (See Appendix). Hand thermometers and a watch with a second hand were used to collect and record the physical stress symptoms. The participants lied on massage tables.
Physical therapy students used massage lotion while giving the massages.
PROCEDURE
The experiment was conducted in two sessions, each session on a different day. The participants met in the physical therapy laboratory. The first session acted as the control group. The group was given a timed examination to create a stressful situation. Half of the group received test A, the other half-received test B. After the test, the researcher took and recorded hand temperature, respiration and heart rate. The participants lied on the table for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, hand temperature, respiration and heart rate was again taken and recorded.
The next session of the experiment was conducted two days later. The same participants met again in the physical therapy laboratory and were given the timed tests. This session, again half of the students will have test A and the other test B. The researcher took and recorded the same as above mentioned physical stress symptoms. At this session, senior physical therapy students gave a 15-minute massage treatment to each participant. After the treatment, physical stress symptoms were taken and recorded.
RESULTS
A paired samples t test was calculated to compare the mean change in heart rate without the massage to the mean change in heart rate with the massage. The mean change in heart rate without the massage was 20.33(sd = 28.71) and the mean change in heart rate with the massage was .667 (sd = 20.06). A significant decrease in heart rate with the massage was found (t (5)=1.01,p>.05).
A paired samples t test was calculated to compare the mean change in hand temperature without the massage to the mean change in hand temperature with the massage. The mean change in hand temperature without the massage was 1.00 (sd = 5.87) and the mean change in hand temperature with the massage 2.17 (sd = 3.71). No significant change in the hand temperature with or without the massage was found (t (5)=3.01,p>.05).
A paired samples t test was calculated to compare the mean change in respiration without a massage to the mean change in respiration with a massage. The mean change in respiration without a massage was 5.00(sd = 18.71) and the mean change in respiration with the massage was 23.33 (sd =40.33). No significant change in respiration with or without massage was found (t (5)=1.01),p > .05).
DISCUSSION
The study found that massage did decrease heart rate by 19 seconds after receiving the massage but had no effect in changing respiration or hand temperature, thus the hypothesis was supported in the fact that massage does have an effect on the physical symptoms of academic stress.
The data from this study also supports research done by Field (1992) where massage was found to lower anxiety and stress hormones. Field and Ironsen (1996) found that massage also increased alertness. This indicates that massage has a positive impact on the negative stress that the academic life creates.
Significant results with the variables of hand temperature and respiration could be found by increasing the length of the study. Conducting the study over a period of several weeks would give more data and a better indication of how massages effects the student’s daily life and academic stress levels.
There was no control for the participants ages or sex. Misra and McKean (2000) found that females suffered more from academic stress than males but handled the stress better through the use of time management skills. Fisher (1994) states that younger students face more stress because of being away from and handling financial matters for the first time. New research could compare how massage influences the stress levels of male and female students of different age groups.
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