Qiuying Zheng

Date of Completion

6-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Nursing

Keywords

Foots, Baths, Stress, Psychological, Aged, Medicine, Chinese Traditional, Geriatric Nursing

Abstract

This study utilized the quasi-experimental design specifically the non-equivalent control group design or the pre-test and post-test design. The effect of the independent variable traditional Chinese medicine foot bath on the dependent variable level of psychological distress among selected elderly people living in a nursing home was assessed. In the treatment group, the level of psychological distress was determined by Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) before and after implementing the traditional Chinese medicine foot bath. In comparison group, the level of psychological distress was assessed in the same way as the treatment. The only difference was that the control group was exposed to the plain water foot bath as nursing intervention. The study was conducted among selected elderly people in Social Welfare Rehabilitation Center for Elderly in Zhoucun District, Zibo City, Shandong province, China. The respondents were selected using the criteria set by the researcher. This study involved a sample population of forty (40) elderlies aged 60 to 75 years old living in the nursing home. A total of twenty (20) respondents were included in the treatment group who were exposed to traditional Chinese medicine foot bath. At the same time, twenty (20) respondents were assigned as the comparison group wherein they were exposed to the plain water foot bath. The following research instruments were used in the study: The Participant’s Data Sheet which was initially drafted by the researcher and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) to determine the level of psychological distress among the elderly. The main statistical tools used in this study were percentage distribution, mean, frequency distribution, paired t-test, t-test for independent variable. Based on findings generated in this study, the researcher brought forward the following conclusions: 1)Majority of the participants are 71-75 years old, females, widowed, finished elementary level of education and have been living in the nursing home for more than 1 year already; 2)The participants’ mean psychological distress scores in the treatment group indicate moderate disorder before they were exposed on traditional Chinese medicine foot bath, which changed to mild disorder after intervention. While in the comparison group, the mean psychological distress score before intervention indicate moderate disorder and became mild disorder after plain water foot bath; 3) The mean psychological distress scores of the participants were not significantly different from the treatment and comparison groups before the administration of traditional Chinese medicine foot bath. However, there is a significant difference on the mean psychological distress scores among the selected respondents after the interventions between those who are exposed to traditional Chinese medicine foot bath and exposed to plain water foot bath. Moreover, the mean psychological distress scores were significantly different before and after traditional Chinese medicine foot bath in the treatment group and comparison group. Furthermore, the mean difference of treatment group is significantly higher than the mean difference of the comparison group. Thus both traditional Chinese foot bath and plain water foot bath are effective interventions to improve the level of psychological distress among elderlies, but the traditional Chinese medicine foot bath is better than plain water foot bath in decreasing the level of psychological distress among elderlies.

First Advisor

Naomi M. De Aro

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