An experimental study with a two-group pretest and posttest design was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of massage therapy on anxiety and physiological parameters among elderly adults residing in Annai Mother Therasa Old Age Home, Coimbatore. The study included 40 participants selected through simple random sampling and assigned equally to experimental and control groups. Data were collected using a Socio-Demographic Data Sheet, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and physiological measures, including pulse rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. The experimental intervention included back massage techniques, such as effleurage, petrissage, kneading, friction, and frolement, and hand massage techniques, including petrissage, kneading, and friction. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t-test, z-test, coefficient of correlation, and chi-square test) were used for data analysis. Results showed that 65% of participants had moderate anxiety, 90% had normal pulse rate, 70% exhibited tachypnea, 60% had systolic prehypertension, and 55% had diastolic hypertension. Massage therapy was effective in reducing anxiety and stabilizing physiological parameters across three consecutive days, with the most significant improvement observed on the third day. The calculated Z value exceeded the tabulated value at the 5% significance level for all physiological parameters, leading to rejection of the null hypothesis. No significant association was found between systolic blood pressure and selected demographic variables in either group. The findings suggest that massage therapy is beneficial in promoting relaxation and physiological stability among the elderly.

Keywords: Massage therapy, anxiety, elderly, physiological parameters, experimental study

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1. Abdellah FG, Levine E. Better patient care through nursing research. Int J Nurs Stud. 1965;2(1):1–12. doi: 10.1016/0020-7489(65)90013-1.
2. Basavanthappa BT. Nursing Theories. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2007. doi: 10.5005/jp/books/10558.
3. Basavanthappa BT. Nursing Research. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2007. doi: 10.5005/jp/books/10557.
4. Black JM, et al. Medical-surgical nursing: Clinical management for positive outcomes. 7th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; 2004.
5. Hinkle JL, Cheever KH, Overbaugh K. Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-surgical Nursing. 11th ed. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company;
6. Burns N. Understanding Nursing Research. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; 1999.
7. Fritz S. Mosby’s Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage. 7th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2020.
8. Gupta SP. Statistical Methods. New Delhi: Sultan Chand & Sons; 2018.
9. Healey JF. Statistics: A Tool for Social Research. 5th ed. Belmont (CA): Wadsworth Publishing; 1998.
10. Holey E. Therapeutic Massage. London: W.B. Saunders; 1997.
11. Joseph EM, Jamkhandi D, Priscilla RA. Prevalence and associated risk factors of anxiety and depression among elderly attending urban family care centres in Vellore India: A cross-sectional study. J Family Med Prim Care. 2025;14(7):2797–2804. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1939_24.
12. Ingle GK, Nath A. Geriatric health in India: Concerns and solutions. Indian J Community Med. 2008;33(4):214–218. doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.43225.
13. Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Löwe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(10):1092–1097. doi: 10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092.
14. Ren H, Luo X, Wang Y, Guo X, hou H, Zhang Y, et al. Psychological responses among nurses caring for patients with COVID-19: A comparative study in China. Transl Psychiatry. 2021;11(1):273. doi: 10.1038/s41398-020-00993-1.
15. Ibrahim AA, Ai-Lami F, Al-Rudainy R, Khader YS. Mental disorders among elderly people in Baghdad, Iraq, 2017. Inquiry. 2019;56:46958019845960. doi: 10.1177/0046958019845960.

An experimental study with a two-group pretest and posttest design was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of massage therapy on anxiety and physiological parameters among elderly adults residing in Annai Mother Therasa Old Age Home, Coimbatore. The study included 40 participants selected through simple random sampling and assigned equally to experimental and control groups. Data were collected using a Socio-Demographic Data Sheet, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and physiological measures, including pulse rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. The experimental intervention included back massage techniques, such as effleurage, petrissage, kneading, friction, and frolement, and hand massage techniques, including petrissage, kneading, and friction. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t-test, z-test, coefficient of correlation, and chi-square test) were used for data analysis. Results showed that 65% of participants had moderate anxiety, 90% had normal pulse rate, 70% exhibited tachypnea, 60% had systolic prehypertension, and 55% had diastolic hypertension. Massage therapy was effective in reducing anxiety and stabilizing physiological parameters across three consecutive days, with the most significant improvement observed on the third day. The calculated Z value exceeded the tabulated value at the 5% significance level for all physiological parameters, leading to rejection of the null hypothesis. No significant association was found between systolic blood pressure and selected demographic variables in either group. The findings suggest that massage therapy is beneficial in promoting relaxation and physiological stability among the elderly.

Keywords: Massage therapy, anxiety, elderly, physiological parameters, experimental study

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Abdellah FG, Levine E. Better patient care through nursing research. Int J Nurs Stud. 1965;2(1):1–12. doi: 10.1016/0020-7489(65)90013-1.
2. Basavanthappa BT. Nursing Theories. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2007. doi: 10.5005/jp/books/10558.
3. Basavanthappa BT. Nursing Research. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2007. doi: 10.5005/jp/books/10557.
4. Black JM, et al. Medical-surgical nursing: Clinical management for positive outcomes. 7th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; 2004.
5. Hinkle JL, Cheever KH, Overbaugh K. Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-surgical Nursing. 11th ed. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company;
6. Burns N. Understanding Nursing Research. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; 1999.
7. Fritz S. Mosby’s Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage. 7th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2020.
8. Gupta SP. Statistical Methods. New Delhi: Sultan Chand & Sons; 2018.
9. Healey JF. Statistics: A Tool for Social Research. 5th ed. Belmont (CA): Wadsworth Publishing; 1998.
10. Holey E. Therapeutic Massage. London: W.B. Saunders; 1997.
11. Joseph EM, Jamkhandi D, Priscilla RA. Prevalence and associated risk factors of anxiety and depression among elderly attending urban family care centres in Vellore India: A cross-sectional study. J Family Med Prim Care. 2025;14(7):2797–2804. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1939_24.
12. Ingle GK, Nath A. Geriatric health in India: Concerns and solutions. Indian J Community Med. 2008;33(4):214–218. doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.43225.
13. Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Löwe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(10):1092–1097. doi: 10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092.
14. Ren H, Luo X, Wang Y, Guo X, hou H, Zhang Y, et al. Psychological responses among nurses caring for patients with COVID-19: A comparative study in China. Transl Psychiatry. 2021;11(1):273. doi: 10.1038/s41398-020-00993-1.
15. Ibrahim AA, Ai-Lami F, Al-Rudainy R, Khader YS. Mental disorders among elderly people in Baghdad, Iraq, 2017. Inquiry. 2019;56:46958019845960. doi: 10.1177/0046958019845960.