Effect of Slow Stroke Back Massage on Depression and Anxiety among Post-Stroke Geriatric Patients

Post-stroke depression and anxiety are the most common emotional changes aftera stroke. They can impair patient s functional recovery, rehabilitation and communityreintegration. It was postulated that applying skillful nursing interventions, such as the SlowStroke Back Massage (SSBM), can improve patient s levels of depression and anxiety.Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of slow stroke back massage ondepression and anxiety among post-stroke geriatric patients. Setting: The study wasconducted at the neuropsychiatry inpatient unit in El-Hadara University Hospital forOrthopaedics and Neuropsychiatry, Alexandria, Egypt. Subjects: The study subjectscomprised 50 post-stroke geriatric male patients. Tools: Four tools were used to collect data;the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) Scale, Geriatric Patients Socio-Demographicand Clinical Data Structured Interview Schedule, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form(GDS-SF) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Results: The percentages of subjects who hadmoderate and severe levels of depression significantly decreased after applying the SSBM.The percentage of those who had moderate level of anxiety significantly decreased, while nopatient was found to have severe anxiety after receiving the SSBM. Conclusion: The SSBM isa clinically effective nursing intervention that can significantly reduce levels of depressionand anxiety among post-stroke geriatric patients. Recommendations: Include the SSBM as anintegral part in the gerontological and psychiatric nursing courses, and develop trainingprograms for both nurses and caregivers of post-stroke geriatric patients about the SSBM.