A preliminary descriptive report of the longevity of the effects of Swedish Massage therapy for subjects with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a prevalent and costly disorder, and many patients may prefer non-traditional treatment. A proof-of-concept study demonstrated the efficacy of Swedish Massage Therapy (SMT) as a monotherapy for treatment of GAD. Subjects were followed-up 6-12 months after study completion to evaluate post-treatment outcome. METHODS: Subjects were enrolled into a randomized, single-masked clinical trial between March of 2012 and May of 2013. Forty-seven untreated subjects with DSM-IV diagnosis of GAD were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of twice-a-week light touch (LT) followed by 6 weeks of twice-a-week SMT, or 12 weeks of twice-a-week SMT. The primary outcome measure was reduction in Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) scores after six weeks of SMT versus LT. Qualifying participants received a follow-up survey to investigate whether the benefits of SMT for GAD were sustained. RESULTS: 28 of 40 subjects completed at least 12 sessions of SMT and were sent the follow-up survey. Of the 19 subjects with follow-up, nine (47%) reported no return of GAD symptoms up to 1 year after study completion. There were no differences between those randomized to 12 weeks SMT and those receiving 6 weeks LT followed by 6 weeks SMT. Of those reporting a return of some symptoms, 50% associated symptom return with a stressful life event. INTERPRETATION: In this first monotherapy trial of SMT for the treatment of GAD, follow-up results suggest that the beneficial effects of SMT may last up to 1 year after end of treatment.

Systematic review of facilitators of, barriers to, and recommendations for healthcare services for child survivors of human trafficking globally.

BACKGROUND: Child trafficking is associated with multiple physical and mental health problems, yet relatively little is known about the factors that facilitate or hamper delivery of high-quality health care services to trafficked children. OBJECTIVE: To summarize information about identified facilitators of, barriers to, and recommendations for medical and mental health service provision to trafficked children. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A systematic review was conducted of the English-language, peer-reviewed literature on medical and mental healthcare of trafficked children published since 2010. METHODS: Inclusion criteria were: (1) the study population or focus included, wholly or in part, individuals under the age of 18 years; (2) the study focus was clearly defined as human trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation; (3) a main focus included health services or barriers to care, and (4) the article contained original data. RESULTS: Of the 29 articles meeting inclusion criteria, 19 included facilitators of health service provision to trafficked populations, 22 included barriers to that provision, and 25 included explicit recommendations for service improvement. 45 distinct facilitators were identified a total of 140 times, 118 distinct barriers were identified a total of 174 times, and 52 distinct recommendations were identified a total of 100 times. The majority of facilitators, barriers, and recommendations fell under the locus of the healthcare provider and healthcare organization. CONCLUSIONS: Existing research reveals abundant areas of opportunity for healthcare professionals and healthcare administrators to improve access to, and quality of, medical and mental health care for trafficked children.

Model structure for protocol adherence utilizing a manualized therapeutic massage intervention.

Background The Protocol Training and Assessment Model (Model) was developed through collaboration between Emory University School of Medicine and Atlanta School of Massage to minimize intra- and inter-therapist variability for two research massage therapist (rMT) applied intervention arms in the Massage for Cancer-Related Fatigue (MCRF) early-phase study. The Model was followed to maintain and assess protocol integrity for the study's manualized Swedish massage therapy (SMT) and light touch (LT) interventions. Methods The Model includes initial rMT training, quarterly retraining sessions, accessible resources (scripts, treatment guides, weekly research personnel meetings), and ongoing monitoring. Model efficacy was assessed by monitoring data collected at retraining sessions, through audio recording review, and through subject and rMT reporting. Results Model application resulted in a high level of intervention consistency throughout the study. Protocol-related session comment rate by subjects was 2.7%. Few study participants reported intra-rMT or inter-rMT treatment delivery differences. Observation during retraining sessions indicated massage therapists continued to adhere to protocols. Importantly rMTs increased their participation beyond core duties, suggesting additional ways to standardize subject treatment experience. Conclusions Through systematic application of the Protocol Training and Assessment Model, continuous and collaborative quality improvement discussions between scientists and research massage therapists resulted in reliable, standardized SMT and LT interventions for the MCRF early-phase study. Future research can apply the Model to support and assess consistent rMT-delivered intervention applications.

Massage therapy decreases cancer-related fatigue: Results from a randomized early phase trial.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a prevalent and debilitating symptom experienced by cancer survivors, yet treatment options for CRF are limited. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of weekly Swedish massage therapy (SMT) versus an active control condition (light touch [LT]) and waitlist control (WLC) on persistent CRF in breast cancer survivors. METHODS: This early phase, randomized, single-masked, 6-week investigation of SMT, LT, and WLC enrolled 66 female stage 0-III breast cancer survivors (age range, 32-72 years) who had received surgery plus radiation and/or chemotherapy/chemoprevention with CRF (Brief Fatigue Inventory > 25). The primary outcome was the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), with the National Institutes of Health PROMIS Fatigue scale secondary. RESULTS: Mean baseline MFI scores for 57 evaluable subjects were 62.95 for SMT, 55.00 for LT, and 60.41 for WLC. SMT resulted in a mean (standard deviation) 6-week reduction in MFI total scores of -16.50 (6.37) (n = 20) versus -8.06 (6.50) for LT (n = 20) and an increase of 5.88 (6.48) points for WLC (n = 17) (treatment-by-time P < .0001). The mean baseline PROMIS Fatigue scores were SMT, 22.25; LT, 22.05; and WLC, 23.24. The mean (standard deviation) reduction in PROMIS Fatigue scores was -5.49 (2.53) points for SMT versus -3.24 (2.57) points for LT and -0.06 (1.88) points for WLC (treatment-by-time P = .0008). Higher credibility, expectancy, and preference for SMT than for LT did not account for these results. CONCLUSION: SMT produced clinically significant relief of CRF. This finding suggests that 6 weeks of a safe, widely accepted manual intervention causes a significant reduction in fatigue, a debilitating sequela for cancer survivors. Cancer 2018;124:546-54. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Acute Swedish Massage Monotherapy Successfully Remediates Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Proof-of-Concept, Randomized Controlled Study.

OBJECTIVE: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent and costly disorder for which many patients may prefer nontraditional treatment. A proof-of-concept study of was conducted to evaluate the acute effects of Swedish massage therapy (SMT) as a monotherapy for the treatment of subjects with GAD. METHODS: A randomized, single-masked, clinical trial was conducted between March 2012 and May 2013 at the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program of Emory University. Forty-seven currently untreated subjects with a DSM-IV diagnosis of GAD were randomly assigned to twice-weekly SMT versus a light touch control condition for 6 weeks. The primary outcome measure was reduction in Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) scores after 6 weeks of treatment for SMT versus light touch, as determined by mixed model repeated-measures analysis of 40 evaluable subjects. RESULTS: Mean HARS baseline scores were 20.05 (SD = 3.34) for SMT and 19.58 (SD = 4.90) for light touch. At week 6, the difference in mean (standard error of the mean [SEM]) HARS score reduction was 3.26 points (SMT: -11.67 [1.09]; light touch: -8.41 [1.01]; t106 = -2.19; P = .030; effect size = -0.69). Treatment group differences were significant (P < .05) starting at the end of week 3. CONCLUSION: This first monotherapy trial suggests that a complementary and alternative manual therapy, SMT, is an effective acute treatment for GAD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01337713.