A pilot randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of infant massage on the acceptance, commitment and awareness of influence in parents of babies with Down syndrome

Abstract

Background The emotional state of parents of babies with Down syndrome affects their babies' development and their parent-child bonding. The aim for this study was to conduct a pilot randomised controlled evaluation of the effect of infant massage on parents of babies with Down syndrome. Methods This pilot study compared two groups (intervention and control), each with 16 parents of babies with Down syndrome. Indices of acceptance, engagement and awareness of influence were measured at two different time points (pre-test and after 5 weeks) using the 'This Is My Baby' Interview. The allocation of families to each group was randomised. The experimental group performed infant massage, applied by the parents, for 5 weeks, every day for at least 10 min. The massage protocol was based on the methodology created by Vimala McClure. Parents in the control group received the intervention after completion of the study. ResultsThe indices of acceptance, commitment and awareness of influence improved in the experimental group and in the control group. The 2 × 2 mixed-model analysis of variance indicates a statistically significant group-by-time interaction for all indices (P < 0.001), which was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Conclusions The application of infant massage, by parents to their babies, improves the rates of acceptance, commitment and awareness of influence of parents of babies with Down syndrome in the short term.

Infant massage applied by parents of infants with Down syndrome (DS) increases their levels of acceptance, commitment and awareness of influence

“…Findings from this pilot RCT provide support for earlier studies concerning the impact of infant massage on early parent–infant interaction 5. To date, studies concerning infant massage with infants with DS have focused on infant outcomes rather than parent outcomes.…”

“…In this pilot RCT,5 the effects of infant massage on acceptance, commitment and awareness of influence were examined in two groups of Spanish parents of infants with DS, between 4 and 8 months of age; each group included 16 parents. Parents randomised into the experimental group received weekly infant massage sessions conducted by a physical therapist and they performed infant massages on their own infant at home at least 5 days a week for 5 weeks.…”

“…The massage protocol was based on the methodology created by McClure 6. Indices of Acceptance, Engagement and Awareness of influence were measured at two time points (pretest and after 5 weeks) using the Spanish version of ‘This Is My Baby’ Interview 5. Both groups continued to attend weekly early childhood intervention sessions during the 5 weeks of the study.…”

Rehabilitation in Patients Diagnosed with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita: A Systematic Review

“…Interventions that can produce these benefits include massage [43,44], specific [37,40,45] and global mobilisations [35,38,39] learnt from health professionals, orthopaedic tools management [45] and psychological support [35,36]. All of this will improve independence [9,11,46] and favour relations with their social environment [9,15,20,47].…”

Feasibility and Acceptability of Using FirstPlay® to Enhance Mother–Child Interaction: A pilot study of mothers’ perspectives

“…The impact of infant massage on children’s skills and functions has been studied, although the effects of different massage variables (technique and duration) have not been addressed ( 23 , 24 ). In addition, there have been limited studies of the effect of infant massage on the parents who perform the massages ( 25 ).…”