Burnout, Professional, Psychological Well-Being
Conditions
Keywords
Therapeutic Touch, Burnout, Well-Being, Midwives, Complementary Therapies, Energy Therapy
Brief summary
This single-center, randomized controlled trial evaluates the effect of Therapeutic Touch on levels of burnout and psychological well-being among midwives who are actively working in a clinical setting. Participants are randomly allocated to one of three parallel groups: a Therapeutic Touch (intervention) group, a placebo/sham group, and a no-intervention control group. The investigators hypothesize that Therapeutic Touch will reduce burnout and improve psychological well-being compared with the placebo and control conditions.
Detailed description
Background: Midwifery is a health discipline characterized by heavy workload and stressful clinical situations that require high levels of physical, emotional, and cognitive effort. Prolonged exposure to chronic stressors can lead to burnout, which negatively affects both the quality of midwifery care and midwives' general well-being. Therapeutic Touch (TT) is a non-invasive energy-field intervention aimed at balancing the individual's energy field. Evidence suggests that TT may reduce stress and anxiety, promote relaxation, and enhance overall well-being; however, studies directly examining its effect on the stress, burnout, and well-being of clinically working midwives are limited. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Therapeutic Touch in reducing burnout and improving general well-being among midwives working in a clinical setting. Design: Single-center, single-blind, pretest-posttest, three-arm, randomized controlled experimental trial. The three arms are: (1) intervention group receiving Therapeutic Touch, (2) placebo/sham group, and (3) no-intervention control group. Setting and Participants: The study population consists of midwives actively working at Elazig Fethi Sekin City Hospital. Sample Size: The sample size will be calculated using G\*Power 3.1.9.7 based on comparable studies, with a Type I error (alpha) of 0.05, power (1-beta) of 0.80, and the anticipated effect size. To account for possible dropouts, the sample size will be increased by 15-20%. Randomization and Blinding: Participants will be allocated to groups using block randomization or a computer-generated random number table. The trial is single-blind (outcome assessor blinded to group allocation). Intervention Period: The intervention is delivered over a 4-week period. Data Collection Tools: (1) Personal Information Form covering sociodemographic and occupational characteristics; (2) Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI): a 22-item, 5-point Likert scale with three subscales (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment); (3) Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB, Diener flourishing short form): an 8-item, 7-point Likert scale. Withdrawal Criterion: Voluntary withdrawal from the study during the 4-week intervention period. Statistical Analysis: Data will be analyzed with SPSS. After assessing distribution, descriptive statistics will be reported and between-group and within-group comparisons of the pretest and posttest scores will be performed using appropriate statistical tests for a three-arm randomized design. Statistical significance will be set at p \< 0.05.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTherapeutic Touch
A non-invasive energy-field intervention in which the practitioner uses the hands to detect and rebalance imbalances in the participant's energy field, delivered over a 4-week period.
BEHAVIORALSham Therapeutic Touch
A placebo/sham procedure resembling Therapeutic Touch but without the intended energy-field component, delivered over a 4-week period.
Sponsors
KTO Karatay University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Single-blind: the outcome assessor is blinded to group allocation.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Aged 18-65 years * Actively practicing midwifery in the field/clinic for at least one year * No prior energy therapy (Reiki, healing touch, Therapeutic Touch) * Literate and willing to volunteer for the study * Open to communication and cooperation
Exclusion criteria
* Currently being followed for a psychiatric diagnosis * Currently using antidepressant, anxiolytic, or sleep-regulating medication * Having touch sensitivity or a phobia-level aversion to being touched
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in burnout level measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) | Baseline (pretest) and after the 4-week intervention (posttest) | The Maslach Burnout Inventory is a 22-item, 5-point Likert scale with three subscales: emotional exhaustion (score range 0-36), depersonalization (0-20), and reduced personal accomplishment (0-32). Higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores and lower personal accomplishment scores indicate greater burnout. Subscales are evaluated separately. |
| Change in psychological well-being measured by the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB) | Baseline (pretest) and after the 4-week intervention (posttest) | The Psychological Well-Being Scale (Diener flourishing short form) is an 8-item, 7-point Likert scale. Total scores range from 8 to 56, with higher scores indicating greater psychological resources and strengths. |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAslihan Turan, PhD
KTO Karatay University
SUB_INVESTIGATORBusra Karaaslan
Elazıg Fethi Sekin Sehir Hastanesi
Outcome results
None listed