How to calm children through massage

Childhood Education, Fall 1997 by Bernal, Glida Rios

This article was written by an early childhood professor in Chile. It describes how she, as director of the early childhood center associated with the University of Playa Ancha at Valparaiso, Chile, conducted an informal study to determine if massage would benefit infants from at-risk homes who display negative emotional behaviors, and help them adjust to a group care setting.

Many of us, concerned about the possibility of physical abuse and molestation, may find it strange or inappropriate to consider using massage in a group care setting. Caregivers and teachers of young children in the United States, as well as other countries, are very cautious about touching and hugging young children. Some cultures, however (Japan, Brazil and India are examples), use massage with infants.

The Japanese culture discriminates among layers of attachment of infants. Attachment moves from the parent-baby dyad to the extended family and then to the culture. Touch and massage are part of the attachment process in all layers (Brazelton & Field, 1990). In South India, daily massage is part of an infant's bath routine. This practice of daily massage continues through the first year and is considered to help bring about deep sleep (Landers, 1990). Vemala Schneider McClure observed this practice in an orphanage in India in 1973. Subsequently, she founded the International Association of Infant Massage Instruction in the United States to instruct parents in infant massage (Evans, 1990). Evans recommends massage for traumatized infants, orphans, adopted babies, battered infants placed with foster families, and hospitalized and premature infants.

Chile's culture is very warm and demonstrative. Hugging and kissing when greeting a friend is the norm for both sexes. Friendly touching occurs as a natural part of interactions between adults and children. The idea of caressing a child is normal within that cultural context. Given this environment, caregivers do not have to concern themselves much about litigation stemming from inappropriate physical touching.

On the other hand, there is much concern in Chile about young children suffering from the effects of poor parenting. Many of the infants and toddlers served in early childhood centers suffer from the consequences of single-parent families, teenage parents, poverty, and parents who abuse alcohol and drugs. A combination of these risk factors is common. Rios Bernal studied young children who demonstrate the effects of early mistreatment as part of her research on massage.

Therapeutic massage for infants and children is not unknown in the United States. Tiffany M. Field, Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Miami School of Medicine, is among those who have studied the effects of massage therapy on infants and children, including premature infants, cocaine-exposed infants, HIV-exposed infants and infants of clinically depressed mothers (Field, 1995; McIntosh, 1994; Scafidi, Field & Schanber, 1993). Field's (1995) study, which also included full-term infants without medical problems, found that massage therapy helped to lessen infants' anxiety. In addition, she reported that the cost of treatment could be kept low by having volunteers and parents give the therapy. Other studies have examined the use of therapeutic touch for healing (Heidt, 1990), the effect of touch on hospitalized patients (Fisher & Gallant, 1990) and the use of massage with child and adolescent psychiatric patients (Larson & Field, 1990).

Bernal's work with massage in a child care setting is similar to the massage done in a clinical setting with infants and toddlers in Field's studies. The procedures Bernal describes are parallel to the strategies presented in the Evans article cited above. Research on the effectiveness of using massage with normal infants is still very limited. Additional data from more formal studies might indicate that massage can be beneficial outside clinical settings.

-Sue Wortham, Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio

Gilda Rios Bernal is Professor, General Basic Education, Physical Education, and Early Childhood Education, The University of Playa Ancha of Sciences of Education, Valparaiso, Chile.

Translated and Introduced by Sue C. Wortham, Professor, Early Childhood and Elementary Education, The University of Texas at San Antonio.