title: Back Massage to Decrease State Anxiety, Cortisol Level, Blood Prsessure, Heart Rate and Increase Sleep Quality in Family Caregivers of Patients with Cancer: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of back massage on the anxiety state, cortisol level, systolic/diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and sleep quality in family caregivers of patients with cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-four family caregivers were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group (22 interventions, 22 controls) after they were matched on age and gender. The intervention consisted of back massage for 15 minutes per day for a week. Main research outcomes were measured at baseline (day I) and follow-up (day 7). Unpaired t-test, paired t test and chi-square test were used to analyse data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of the caregivers were women, married, secondary school educated and housewife. State anxiety (p<0.001), cortisol level (p<0.05), systolic/diastolic blood pressure (p<0.001, p<0.01 respectively), and pulse rate (p<0.01) were significantly decreased, and sleep quality (p<0.001) increased after back massage intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study results show that family caregivers for patients with cancer can benefit from back massage to improve state anxiety, cortisol level, blood pressure and heart rate, and sleep quality. Oncology nurses can take advantage of back massage, which is non-pharmacologic and easily implemented method, as an independent nursing action to support caregivers for patients with cancer.
authors.affiliation: Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Selahaddin Eyyubi University, Diyarbakir, Turkey E-mail : rukiyepinar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rukiye
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pinar
authors.forename: Fisun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Afsar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing; D011788:Quality of Life; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone