Effect of Therapeutic Touch on Pain, Self-care, Depression and Cortisol: Study of a Clinical Case

Abstract

Background: the Therapeutic Touch (TI) or Krieger-Kunz method has shown benefits on people's health as reduction of pain and anxiety, or increase of haemoglobin. Objective: to evaluate the effect of TI on pain, self-care, cortisol leveis and depression in a patient with stroke and severe depressive symptomatology. Methodology: study of a clinical case with pre, during and post intervention evaluation, conducted in March and April 2015. Sixteen TI sessions were performed. ln the three moments were applied: Mini Mental State Examination; Analog Visual Scale of Pain; Geriatric depression scale and Self-care scale. Salivary cortisol leveis were also evaluated in the morning and at night. Ethical procedures were followed. Results: there was an improvement in the following variables: depressive symptomatology, levei of dependence on self-care, with more significant gains in hygiene, arranging and feeding, and a significant difference in morning cortisol, decreasing their values at each new evaluation. Conclusion: the findings suggest that TI as a complementary therapy may be effective in improving health status in stroke patients, particularly in reducing symptomatology in severe depression and in the levei of self-care dependence.