Psychiatric &or Mood Disorder Clinical Trial
Official title:
The Evaluation of Relaxation Massage Therapy as an Intervention Treatment for Reducing the Level of Arousal and Aggression on a Young Adult Psychiatric Inpatient Unit
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether relaxation massage therapy is effective in reducing the levels of arousal and aggression on a young adult inpatient unit. It is hypothesised that relaxation massage therapy will lead to a lower incidence of violence and aggression on the ward via a reduction in the level of arousal and anxiety among inpatients.
Patient aggression and agitation on psychiatric inpatient wards poses a significant problem
for both staff and patients, and impairs the therapeutic environment of the ward. Relaxation
massage therapy has previously been shown to reduce the level of arousal, stress, anxiety
and aggression in adolescents/young adults with various psychiatric disorders including
anxiety, depression, conduct disorder and bulimia. This project investigates whether
relaxation massage therapy is an effective intervention treatment for the management of
arousal and aggression on a young adult inpatient ward.
Two treatment conditions will be assessed at different times on the ward; a) standard
(control) treatment as per usual and b) relaxation massage therapy intervention treatment in
addition to the standard treatment. Each treatment condition will be implemented for a
six-week period. Depending on admission rate, we estimate there will be approximately 50
participants in each treatment group. The massage therapy intervention treatment will
consist of daily 20-minute, fully clothed, seated relaxation massage sessions, offered to
all consenting patients during their period of hospitalization. We aim to determine whether
relaxation massage therapy significantly reduces: i) the level of arousal, stress, anxiety,
hostility and aggression in psychiatric inpatients; ii) the frequency and/or severity of
aggressive incidents on the ward; iii) the need for sedating medication; iv) the need for
patient seclusion and/or restraint; v) the mean duration of hospitalization and vi) the
amount of sick leave taken by staff and the associated costs of running the ward. This will
be assessed by pre- and post-massage therapy measures of heart rate and salivary cortisol
levels; and staff and patient ratings of anxiety, hostility and aggression. The nature,
frequency and severity of aggressive incidents on the ward, as well as the use of coercive
measures during each treatment condition, will be assessed using the "Staff Observation
Aggression Scale-Revised" (SOAS-R). Staff and patient perception of the atmosphere of the
ward during each treatment condition will also be assessed using the "Ward Atmosphere
Scale".
It is hypothesized that relaxation massage therapy will lead to a lower incidence of
violence and aggression on the ward via a reduction in the level of arousal, stress and/or
anxiety among inpatients. It is further hypothesized that this will reduce the level of risk
for both staff and patients and improve the therapeutic atmosphere of the ward. We also
hypothesise that a reduction in aggressive incidents on the ward will be associated with a
shorter mean duration of hospitalisation.
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Allocation: Non-Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment
| Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not yet recruiting |
NCT05863637 -
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) for Anxiety Diagnoses in a Primary Care Setting
|
N/A |