Research
Study by Carol Trower - 2001
Promoting Child Mental Health through massage in a Primary School setting in London:
A comparision of two "year 3" classes:
One group (A) was the control and
Group B the intervention group
Results: Children in Group (A) showed
- significant improvements in concentration, co-operation, confidence
- ability to work both in groups and independently and
- had improved social interaction with adults compared to Group (B)
Study by Sarah Salmon - 2004
Building a sense of community in a reception class through the use of peer massage
Aim of Study: To show that peer massage is effective in
- helping children develop more effective relationships
- build a sense of community and
- improve their ability to learn
Building a sense of community in a reception class through the use of peer massage
Results: During the time that the peer massage Program was implemented in the class
- Increased ability of the children to communicate & connect with each other
- increased ability to learn collaboratively
- Greater cooperation between the children was observed
- A sense of community was firmly established in the class
- Care & consideration for one another was shown
- Levels of aggressive behaviour and incidents of conflict decreased
- The children played with a greater variety of children
STUDIES AND RESEARCH ON MASSAGE & MASSAGE IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM (MISP)
Studies supporting MISP
Touch – The skin is Primary Sense Organ
Book – ‘Touching – The Human Significance of Skin’ by Ashley Montague has a vast amount of research information which supports MISP work in regards to tactile stimulation and its effect on development. Also helps one to understand why some people have developed an aversion to touch.
MONTAGUE 1978 – says that mammals lick their newborn as a form of cutaneous stimulation and is very important for the newborns survival.
WEININGER 1953 and LEVINE & KRAFT 1968 & SMOTHERMAN 1983 found handling of newborn rats had a positive impact on their weight gain, their increased activity, less fearfulness, more able to resist stress and increase resistance to physiological damage.
HARLOW & ZIMMERMAN 1958 – powerful piece of research found that the ‘Wire mother’ and ‘Cloth mother’ experiment baby monkeys spent more time on the cloth mother – suggests that tactile stimulation was very important to a mammals development.
YARROW – noted that children who received little contact in infancy had difficulty in mother-child relationship.
QUINTON & RUTTER 1988 report that ‘good experiences at school made decisive differences to children from positive relationship at home.
MONTAGUE SUMMARISES THAT ‘adequate tactile satisfaction during infancy and childhood is of fundamental importance for the subsequent healthy behavioural development of the individual’.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
AUTTON 1989 observed physical touches over one hour period,in different cities :-
Puerto Rico - 180
Paris- 110
Florida - 2
London - 0
MONTAGUE :
Skin as a Tension reliever in men:
-Head scratching, rub chin/nose, ear lobe tugging
-Rub forehead/cheeks/back of neck/side of neck
-Rub back of hand/thigh
In women:
-Finger to lower front teeth with mouth slightly open
-Finger to under chin
Use of ‘worry beads’
MASSAGE
ANDREW VICKERS book ‘MASSAGE AND AROMATHERAPY – a guide for health professionals’ (1996) – looked a robust pieces of research to validate Massage and Aromatherapy FIELD et al (1991) showed that massage was beneficial to child and adolescent psychiatric patients with depression and adjustment disorders with anxiety falling 20%, sleep problems by 10%, improved mood score, and salivary cortisol lowered. A course of massage led to cumulative and persisting improvements. Other research by FIELD and the TOUCH RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN MIAMI – Onestudy in 1986 showed the positive impact of massage on preterm neonates with greater weight gain, more developmental mature and stayed in hospital 6 days less, and at 8 month-follow up, they had a higher performance on development assessment.
MARGOT SUNDERLAND (Centre of Child Mental Health) Talk on 1006 on latest research in Brain Development informed us that:
1 in 5 children have had mental health problems
40,000 children have had anti-depressants
17,000 children expelled annually
170,000 adolescent self-harm
70% increase in anxiety/depression in children
45% bullied/will be bullied during school life
Every 7 minutes a pupil ) help release the hormone, Oxytocin, that is an extremely powerful brain/body biochemical, causing a calming effect (anti-aggression) If stress/arousal is high in childhood (i.e. computer games all day) the child becomes hardwired for stress/aggro. This can be reversed with Positive Touch.
If a child has a very stressful childhood, then no gradation of anger is developed (i.e. can over-react to situations). Optimal arousal level is when one is alert and at ease. If there is Hyperarousal – leads to Hyperinhibition – leads to Dissassociation. If state of hyperarousal continues – the secretion of cortisol, over a duration of time, will have a negative effect on the brain. Hippocanthus will degenerate/memory will decline.
PANKSEPP – work on opiods that soothe away distress and increase sense of well-being can be triggered by Positive Touch in a safe and trusting relationship.
