The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy and Complications After it: A Clinical Trial Study.

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Electroconvulsive therapy in the psychiatric disorders, due to complications such as severe anxiety caused by invasion, yet has failed to achieve its real position in the field of psychiatry. With regard to the restriction of the use of medicines for anxiety management, a study was conducted in these patients with a purpose to evaluate the effect of reflexology on reducing anxiety and complication after it in patients undergoing ECT. Methods and materials: The present study was performed as a clinical trial with 68 admitted patients receiving ECT that were randomly assigned into control (n = 34) and intervention groups (n = 34). In the test group, the intervention was measured during three 20-min sessions, and in the control group, the patient leg was massaged for 1 minute using olive oil. The amnesia score of patients was equally measured and compared 30 minutes after ECT at the end of each session by using a (GALVESTON- ORIENTATION-AMNESIA-TEST) questionnaire.The anxiety of patients was measured once before the intervention (reflexology) in both groups, and once again, after the ECT (after consciousness of the patient) at the end of each session, with Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI), and pain of the patients was measured and compared using numeric pain scale at 15 min after electroconvulsive therapy at the end of each session in both groups. The data was analyzed by SPSS v.13 using chi-square tests, independent t-test, repeated measurement and Friedman test. Findings: The results showed the significant effect of the group on amnesia, this means that people who received the intervention were collected over the entire study had a significantly higher score in comparison of control group for score of anamnesis (p=.02). Also, the results showed that at the end of the third session of reflexology, the mean score of state anxiety (s) in the intervention group was had significantly reduced compared to the control group (p<0.05). Comparison of pain between both groups didn’t show a significant difference immediately after intervention, but in the sessions 2 and 3, the pain was significantly decreased in the intervention group (p<0.05). Conclusion: It expected that non-drug methods such as reflexology that are associated with a few complications are used to reduce the anxiety of patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy and pain.