Effect of therapeutic touch on daytime sleepiness, stress and fatigue among students of nursing and midwifery: A randomized sham-controlled trial

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the effect of therapeutic touch on stress, daytime sleepiness, sleep quality and fatigue among students of nursing and midwifery. Methods: 96 students were randomized into three groups: the therapeutic touch (TT) group, the sham therapeutic touch (STT) group, and the control group. In this randomized sham-controlled study, the TT group was subjected to therapeutic touch twice a week for four weeks with each session lasting 20 min. Results: When the TT group was compared to the STT and control groups following the intervention, the decrease in the levels of stress (p < 0.001), fatigue (p < 0.001) and daytime sleepiness (p < 0.001), and the increase in the sleep quality (p < 0.001) were found to be significant. Conclusion: It was found that TT, which is one form of complementary therapy, was relatively effective in decreasing the levels of stress, fatigue and daytime sleepiness, and in increasing the sleep quality of university students of nursing and midwifery.