Therapeutic touch with HIV-infected children: a pilot study.

In this pilot study, 20 HIV-infected children, 6 to 12 years of age, were randomly assigned into therapeutic touch (TT) and mimic TT groups. The effectiveness of TT in reducing anxiety was evaluated. The self-report measure, the A-State Anxiety subscale of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory For Children, was administered before and immediately after interventions. As predicted, the TT intervention resulted in lower overall mean anxiety scores, whereas the mimic TT did not. These findings provide preliminary support for the use of TT in reducing the state anxiety of children with HIV infection.