がん患者を対象とした全人的苦痛に対するタクティールケアの効果

Effects of Tactile Massage on Total Pain of Cancer Patients

要旨

　本研究は、がん患者を対象にタクティールケアを行い、対象者の語りからタクティールケアの全人的苦痛緩和への効果を明らかにすることを目的とした。対象者は、がんの告知が行われており、心身の状態が安定している患者5名を対象に半構成的面接を行い、質的帰納的に分析した。その結果、タクティールケアそのものの効果【日常を取り戻す感覚】、【安らぎの獲得】とタクティールケアによってもたらされた患者の思いや気持ちの表出という副効果【病気体験の自己開示】、【肯定的な感情】、【一縷の望み】の5つのカテゴリーが抽出された。がん患者にとってタクティールケアは、疼痛などの身体的苦痛そのものの緩和というより、タクティールケアによる心地よい感覚の提供、対象者が抱いている様々な思いの表出、自己開示など社会的・心理的・霊的苦痛に効果があることが見出された。

Abstract

　This study provided Tactile Massage to patients with cancer and it sought to determine the effectiveness with which Tactile Massage alleviate total pain based on patients' accounts. Subjects were 5 patients who were informed that they had cancer and whose mental and physical state was stable. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with subjects, and their responses were analyzed qualitatively and inductively. Results of that analysis identified 5 categories of responses, 2 of which related to the effectiveness of Tactile Massage itself("a sense of life returning to normal" and "deriving peace of mind")while the remaining 3("self-disclosure of one's battle with the condition," "positive feelings," and "a ray of hope") related to the ancillary benefit of Tactile Massage, i.e. facilitating the patient's expression of his or her thoughts and feelings. For patients with cancer, Tactile Massage provides comfort rather than alleviating physical suffering, such as pain. Tactile Massage was found to be effective at facilitating subjects' expression of their thoughts and at alleviating social, psychological, and spiritual suffering(e.g. facilitating self-disclosure).