The effects of nurses' practicing of the HeartTouch technique on perceived stress, spiritual well-being, and hardiness.
OBJECTIVE
To test the effects of nurses' practicing of the HeartTouch technique (internal method of changing thoughts and feelings) on their perceived stress, hardiness, and spiritual well-being.


METHODS
Experimental (n = 58) and comparison (n = 40) groups received an education session discussing the effects of thoughts and feelings on stress and health, with the experimental group also learning HeartTouch and practicing it for 1 month.


RESULTS
ANCOVA produced no statistically significant between-group differences. Effect sizes ranged from .14 to .35, indicating practical significance, suggesting that nurses who practiced HeartTouch likely noticed a greater improvement in outcome variables than nurses who did not practice HeartTouch. In the experimental group, statistically significant within-group differences were seen in all variables, with effect sizes ranging from .25 to .89. In the comparison group, statistically significant within-group differences were seen in two variables.


CONCLUSIONS
Learning about the power of thoughts and feelings and using HeartTouch to change them can reduce stress and increase hardiness and spiritual well-being.
Walker
Marsha Jelonek
MJ
Lauterstein-Conway School of Massage, Austin, Texas, USA. walkerj@io.com
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D012063:Relaxation; D029181:Spirituality