Giving new meaning to the impact of touch in Shantala massage: mothers' perceptions of maternal and child well-being.
Danton Matheus de Souza, Letícia Sangali, Fernanda Marçal Ferreira and 3 others
PMID 39356929WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of infants initially feared their child would reject touch and nudity.
After learning and practising Shantala massage, they described infants relaxing, sleeping, accepting touch, and they reported greater bonding and less anxiety. These are experiences, not proof the massage works.
Key findings
01Mothers first worried their infants would reject touch or being undressed.
02Mothers reported that infants gradually accepted touch, relaxed, slept, or enjoyed the massage.
03Mothers reported greater connection and bond, reduced anxiety and nervousness, better sleep, and improved quality of life.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only eight mothers took part, and all were from a single Brazilian state, so their accounts cannot be generalised to other families or settings. Recruitment was through social networks and snowball sampling, and no theoretical saturation was assessed; collection ended after five scheduled meetings. The study had no pilot test, no field notes, and transcripts were not returned to participants for checking. Mothers' home massage practice was not verified, despite daily reminders, and the online format may have limited disclosure. It was a qualitative study of mothers' perceptions, not a test of efficacy, so it cannot show that Shantala massage caused benefit.
Declared interests
The last author received CNPq funding (Universal Call No. 2021-402761/2021-9) for a project on educational technologies for maternal and child care. The supplied text does not report other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Shantala massage improves infant sleep, reduces maternal anxiety, or strengthens bonding. The study reports eight mothers' perceptions after an online teaching programme, not measured outcomes from a trial.