FACTORS INFLUENCING THE USE AND ACCEPTANCE OF TOUCH AS PERCEIVED BY NURSING HOME RESIDENTS AND CAREGIVERS.
Contributors: University Of Illinois At Chicago, Health Sciences Center.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 245
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Gerontology.; Psychology, Social.
Description: The purpose of this study was to examine which factors influence the perceptions of touch by elderly nursing home residents and their health caregivers. Additionally, differences between residents' and caregivers' perceptions of touch situations were examined. A random sample of one hundred elderly residents and a convenience sample of one hundred health caregivers (RN's, LPN's, nurse aides) were selected according to specific criteria from two nursing homes.

A fractional factorial design was selected for this study. The five variables of interest were: staff status; type of touch; area of the body touched; resident's locus of control; and resident's functional level. Nine combinations of the variables of interest were chosen, and vignettes were developed from these particular combinations which described a touch interaction between a resident and caregiver in a nursing home setting. Perceptions of the touch situation were measured from items on the "Perception of Touch Scale" developed by the investigator.

To determine the main effects of the five variables of interest, fractional factorial analyses of variance were performed. For residents and LPN's, all five variables significantly influenced their perceptions of touch. For RN's, the type of touch, resident's locus of control, and area of the body touched significantly affected their perceptions of touch. For the nurse aides, the resident's locus of control and area of the body touched influenced their perception of touch. Significant differences among responses by the four subject groups were found in all but two vignettes. Resident's locus of control appeared to be the most influential factor affecting residents' and caregivers' perceptions of touch.

Touch was experienced as positive when it was appropriate to the situation, did not impose greater intimacy than desired, and did not impart a condescending message. Negative touch situations often involved some procedure or task used in a manner considered "intimate" such as bathing. Touch was also interpreted negatively when it was discrepant with the needs of the individual. A conceptual model of interpersonal touch was described and recommendations for further study were discussed.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-10, Section: B, page: 4453.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER, 1989.

School code: 0806.