The Effect of Hand Massage on Anxiety and Comfort of Bariatric Surgery Patients: A Randomised Controlled Trial

This study was conducted to determine the effect of hand massage on anxiety and comfort levels in bariatric surgery patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Anxiety; Hand Massage
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Experimental Group

Detailed Description

This study was conducted to determine the effect of hand massage on anxiety and comfort levels in bariatric surgery patients. This randomised controlled trial was conducted in the General Surgery Clinic of a University Hospital in eastern Turkey with all adult patients undergoing bariatric surgery between September 2024 - March 2025. The sample consisted of 90 randomised patients who received hand massage and received only routine care. Data were collected using the Patient Information Form, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), General Comfort Scale-Short Form (SGCQ).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 90
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Elâzığ, Turkey (Türkiye), 23119
    • Firat Universty

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion criteria:

• Aged 18 or older
• Not having a speech problem or hearing loss
• Not having any condition that would reduce comprehension and understanding abilities
• Agreeing to participate in the study
• Having a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30.

Exclusion criteria:

• Having compromised tissue and skin on the forearm or hands (e.g., wounds, eczema, inflammation, phlebitis, arthritis, and rashes)
• Having an intravenous catheter in the back of the hand.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental group; Upon admission to the General Surgery clinic, patients were apprised of the study's objective, and their written and verbal agreement was acquired. Prior to the preoperative hand massage, the Patient Information Form, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Short Form General Comfort Questionnaire (SGCQ) were administered to the patients in the general surgery clinic's patient room via face-to-face interviews. The patient rooms were single-occupancy, naturally lit, windowed, calm, quiet, and located within the clinic. Immediately before surgery, classic massage techniques including petrissage, friction, and kneading were applied to both hands for 10 minutes using baby oil on the palms, backs of the hands, and fingers. The hand massage was performed while the patient was in bed. The application lasted approximately 25 minutes. After the hand massage, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and General Comfort Scale-Short Form (SGCQ) were administered to the patients as post-test.	Other: Experimental Group; Upon admission to the General Surgery clinic, patients were apprised of the study's objective, and their written and verbal agreement was acquired. Prior to the preoperative hand massage, the Patient Information Form, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Short Form General Comfort Questionnaire (SGCQ) were administered to the patients in the general surgery clinic's patient room via face-to-face interviews. The patient rooms were single-occupancy, naturally lit, windowed, calm, quiet, and located within the clinic. Immediately before surgery, classic massage techniques including petrissage, friction, and kneading were applied to both hands for 10 minutes using baby oil on the palms, backs of the hands, and fingers. The hand massage was performed while the patient was in bed. The application lasted approximately 25 minutes. After the hand massage, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and General Comfort Scale-Short Form (SGCQ) were administered to the patients as post-test.; Other Names: Procedure/Surgery
No Intervention: Control group; No intervention other than the clinic protocol was applied to this group. In the control group, Patient Information Form, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), General Comfort Scale-Short Form (SGCQ) were administered as pre-test before the operation. Just before the operation, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and General Comfort Scale-Short Form were administered as post-test.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
State Anxiety Inventory (STAI)	The scale was developed by Spielberger et al. Reliability and validity were carried out by Öner and Le Compte. The scale consists of two sub-units that measure anxiety separately, but in this study, the state anxiety scale that the individual feels indirectly from the stressful situation will be used. It is a 4-point Likert-type scale consisting of 20 items and short statements. The total score obtained from the scale varies between 20 and 80, and a high score indicates a high level of anxiety.	two weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
General Comfort Scale-Short Form (SGCQ)	It was developed by Kolcaba to determine the comfort requirements of the individual. The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Sarıtaş et al. In the evaluation of the scale, negative items (items 2, 3, 7, 9, 11, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 27) are reverse coded and summed. This 6-point Likert-type scale consisting of 28 items consists of three sub-dimensions: refreshment (1-9 items), relaxation (10-18 items) and superiority (19-28 items). The lowest score that can be obtained from the scale is 28 and the highest score is 168. As the score obtained from the scale decreases, it indicates that the comfort level of the individual is low.	two weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Firat University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: DİLEK GÜNEŞ, FIRAT ÜNİVERSİTESİ

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 14, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 20, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): November 20, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 25, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 8, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): December 22, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 22, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 8, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: comfort; anxiety; nursing; Hand massage
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Surgical Procedures, Operative
• Other Study ID Numbers: FiratOU

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No