Surgical Technologist and MSN in Nursing, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
MSN, Instructor, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Mother- Infant Health, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
BMJ Mil Health. 2021 Jun;167(3):177-181. doi: 10.1136/jramc-2019-001332. Epub 2020 Feb 2.
Military service is a stressful environment. Methods to reduce stress may result in the mental health promotion of military forces. There are various methods for relieving anxiety. Acupressure is one of them. Hence, this study was carried out to explore effects of acupressure at the P6 and LI4 acupressure points on the anxiety level of army soldiers.
A randomised double-blind design was undertaken. A total of 120 Iranian army soldiers were randomly assigned to three groups, namely P6, LI4 and control. The P6 and LI4 acupressure points are effective in lowering the anxiety level. In the intervention groups, acupressure was applied at the P6 and LI4 points three times for 10 min at 30 min intervals. In the control group, the thumb pad, which is not an acupressure point, was pressed. The anxiety level of the subjects was measured before the intervention and 30 min after the last intervention. The instruments included a demographics questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
There was no significant difference between the three groups with respect to the anxiety level in the preintervention phase. However, the mean anxiety score in the P6 group decreased significantly from 53.35±9.7 to 49.02±9.3 (p=0.005). The mean anxiety score in the LI4 group also decreased significantly from 53.37±8.39 to 45.47±8.16 (p<0.001). In the control group, there was no significant difference between the preintervention and postintervention phases (p=0.16). In the postintervention phase, the analysis of variance test showed a significant difference between the three groups in terms of the anxiety level (p=0.04).
Acupressure can reduce soldiers' anxiety at the acupressure points, especially at the LI4 point. It is recommended that this simple and cost-effective intervention be used to relieve soldiers' anxiety in stressful situations.
20150715023216N4.
兵役是充满压力的环境。减轻压力的方法可能会促进军队的心理健康。有各种缓解焦虑的方法。指压按摩就是其中之一。因此，本研究旨在探讨按压 P6 和 LI4 穴位对伊朗军人焦虑水平的影响。
采用随机双盲设计。将 120 名伊朗军人随机分为三组，即 P6 组、LI4 组和对照组。P6 和 LI4 穴位对降低焦虑水平有效。在干预组中，在 30 分钟间隔内，分 3 次对 P6 和 LI4 穴位进行 10 分钟的指压按摩。在对照组中，按压非穴位的拇指垫。在干预前和最后一次干预后 30 分钟测量受试者的焦虑水平。使用的工具包括人口统计学问卷和状态-特质焦虑量表。
三组在干预前的焦虑水平无显著差异。然而，P6 组的平均焦虑评分从 53.35±9.7 降至 49.02±9.3（p=0.005）。LI4 组的平均焦虑评分也从 53.37±8.39 降至 45.47±8.16（p<0.001）。对照组在干预前后无显著差异（p=0.16）。在干预后阶段，方差分析检验显示三组之间的焦虑水平存在显著差异（p=0.04）。
指压按摩可以降低穴位处士兵的焦虑，尤其是 LI4 穴位。建议在压力环境下使用这种简单且具有成本效益的干预措施来缓解士兵的焦虑。
20150715023216N4。
