Department of Health Sciences, School of Health and Human Sciences, Indiana University - IUPUI, 1050 Wishard Blvd, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Massage & Myotherapy Australia Fellow and Visiting Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 Jul 8;20(1):213. doi: 10.1186/s12906-020-03002-6.
Attitudes and beliefs about massage therapy have been explored among health professionals and health profession students, but not for undergraduate preprofessional health sciences students.
This cross-sectional survey sought to determine pre-professional health students' attitudes and perceptions toward massage therapy and determine the extent demographic variables such as age, gender, race, along with lifetime massage experience are associated with neutral/negative perceptions.
N = 129 undergraduate students completed the Attitudes Toward Massage scale and 7 supplemental items pertaining to sexuality and therapist gender preference along with questions regarding lifetime massage utilization. Prevalence of massage therapy utilization was 35.6% (lifetime) and 18.6% (last 12-months). Overall, positive attitudes towards massage therapy was observed with participants reporting massage experience expressing more positive massage attitudes (lifetime; p = 0.0081, the past 12 months; p = 0.0311). Participants with no massage experience were more likely to report neutral/negative attitudes toward massage (p = 0.04). Men were more likely to prefer their massage therapist to be of the opposite sex (38.9%) compared to women (2.1%) (p = < 0.0001). Men were less confident than women in their concern of becoming sexually aroused during massage (p = 0.0001) and in the belief that massage is sexually arousing (p = 0.048). Both genders expressed comfort with female and/or male massage therapists, but if given a choice, both prefer a female massage therapist.
Undergraduate pre-professional health sciences students have generally positive attitudes towards massage therapy however more research is needed regarding implicit gender bias and/or preferences. This work should inform future research designs examining the impact of attitudes and beliefs on patient referrals to massage therapy.
人们已经探讨了健康专业人员和健康专业学生对按摩疗法的态度和信念，但尚未探讨本科前专业健康科学学生的态度和信念。
本横断面调查旨在确定前专业健康学生对按摩疗法的态度和看法，并确定年龄、性别、种族等人口统计学变量以及终生按摩经验与中性/负面看法的关联程度。
共有 129 名本科学生完成了《按摩态度量表》和 7 项补充项目，涉及到与性和治疗师性别偏好相关的问题，以及关于终生按摩利用情况的问题。按摩疗法的利用情况为 35.6%（终生）和 18.6%（过去 12 个月）。总体而言，参与者对按摩疗法的态度较为积极，有按摩经验的参与者表达了更为积极的按摩态度（终生；p=0.0081，过去 12 个月；p=0.0311）。没有按摩经验的参与者更有可能对按摩持中性/负面态度（p=0.04）。与女性（2.1%）相比，男性更有可能希望他们的按摩治疗师为异性（38.9%）（p<0.0001）。男性对在按摩过程中变得性兴奋的担忧程度低于女性（p=0.0001），也不相信按摩具有性唤起作用（p=0.048）。两种性别都对女性和/或男性按摩治疗师表示舒适，但如果有选择，两种性别都更倾向于选择女性按摩治疗师。
本科前专业健康科学学生对按摩疗法的态度总体上较为积极，但仍需要更多关于隐含性别偏见和/或偏好的研究。这项工作应能为未来研究设计提供信息，以检验态度和信念对向按摩疗法转介患者的影响。
