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Home CCSU Theses & Dissertations Do Attitudes Towards Non-sexual Touch Predict Willingness to Participate in Massage Therapy among...

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Do Attitudes Towards Non-sexual Touch Predict Willingness to Participate in Massage Therapy among Puerto Rican Hospital Clinic Users?

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Identifier	Thesis 1735
Author	Myers, Alyssa C.
Title	Do Attitudes Towards Non-sexual Touch Predict Willingness to Participate in Massage Therapy among Puerto Rican Hospital Clinic Users?
Publisher	Central Connecticut State University
Date	2003
Resource Type	Master's Thesis
Notes	Research suggests that therapeutic touch can be a facilitator of positive health outcomes among high-risk and vulnerable populations. Minority groups appear to be especially vulnerable. One such population would include Hispanics, many of whom have low income, little education, no health insurance and who are predisposed to higher rates of mortality and morbidity. Of particular concern are the Puerto Ricans, which are reported to have the poorest health, highest unemployment rate, and lowest incomes of all Hispanic/Latino subgroups (Council on Scientific Affairs, 1991). Massage therapy as a health-enhancing behavior is proposed due to its positive benefits on stress reduction. Stress reduction methods are critical for adults who have health conditions making them vulnerable to stress. Great strides have been made in research on the relationship between stress and health, especially concerning the immune process. Too much stress can impair our physiological, psychological, and social health (Lazarus, 1999). Health behaviors vary according to socioeconomic status, education, age, values, social influence, access to the health care delivery system, and the degree of control individuals feel they have in influencing their own health (Taylor, 1999). Research suggests that the amount of personal control that we feel over our health may determine our health habits. It is suggested that a sense of control or an internal health locus of control, can act as a stress buffer by reducing the effects of stress on health, whereas attitudes Towards Non-sexual Touch external beliefs about control are related to ill health (Cohen & Edwards, 1989; Hurrell & Murphy, 1991 as cited in Bartlett, 1998). An external sense of control does not imply maladaptive health behaviors but it may possibly interfere with the psychological intervention in stressful processes (Folkman, 1984 as cited in Bartlett, 1998). Therefore, individuals who possess an internal health locus of control may engage in more positive health behaviors than those with an external health locus of control. When considering touch therapies such as massage for cultural minority populations, a critical factor that needs to be addressed is their attitude towards touch. Cultural roles, subcultural norms, and religious strictures influence a person's basic comfort level of touch and physical contact. Unfortunately, there is little research on touch attitudes among diverse ethnic groups. The present study, therefore, examines the relationships between the attitudes towards non-sexual touch, acculturation as measured by the length of time residing in the United States, and internal health locus of control among Hispanics as factors related to the degree of comfort in using massage therapy. It was hypothesized that (a) positive attitudes towards non-sexual touch would positively correlate with the degree of comfort in using massage, (b) internal health locus of control would be positively associated with the degree of comfort in using massage, and (c) the length of residence in the U.S. (greater acculturation) would positively correlate with the degree of comfort in using massage therapy. Thirty-two Puerto Ricans from the Medical clinic at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut completed a survey asking about their degree of comfort in using massage therapy. The comfort level in using massage therapy was measured by using a 4-point Likert format rating scale ranging from (1) very uncomfortable to (4) very comfortable. Assessment included a revised version of the Same Sex Touching Scale attitudes Towards Non-sexual Touch ((SSTS: Larsen & LeRoux, 1984) by this researcher and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC: Wallston, Wallston, & DeVellis, 1978). Demographic questions included the length of time residing in the United States to measure levels of acculturation (Cuellar, Harris, & Jasso, 1980). Multiple regression analysis indicated that neither attitudes towards non-sexual touch, the length of residence in the U.S., nor internal health locus of control were significant predictors of the degree of comfort in using massage therapy. Instead, it was found that positive attitudes towards non-sexual touch and the greater length of residence in the U.S. were significant predictors of internal health locus of control. Meanwhile, an external health locus of control was a significant predictor of positive attitudes towards non-sexual touch. The results did not support the proposed hypotheses that there would be a positive relationship with the degree of comfort in using massage therapy and attitudes towards non-sexual touch, internal health locus of control, or the length of residence in the U.S. However, the findings did support a positive relationship between attitudes toward nonsexual touch and powerful others health locus of control, as well as a positive association between the length of residence in the U.S and internal health locus of control. These findings may contribute to implications for health promotion interventions for Puerto Ricans.
Subject	Massage therapy Touch -- Psychological aspects Puerto Ricans -- Mental health services -- Connecticut -- Hartford
Department	Department of Psychology
Advisor	DiPlacido, Joanne
Type	Text
Digital Format	application/pdf
Language	eng
OCLC number	713733924
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Do Attitudes Towards Non-sexual Touch Predict Willingness to Participate in Massage Therapy among Puerto Rican Hospital Clinic Users?

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