Effect of Reiki Therapy on Heart Rate Variability in Young Children Receiving Palliative Care
Loading...
Date
2019-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
For young children with life-threatening illnesses, prolonged hospital stays can be very stressful events. An unfamiliar environment and unwanted side effects of medications can cause increased levels of anxiety and decreased quality of life. Reiki therapy is a light touch biofield therapy which has shown efficacy in reducing pain and anxiety levels in adult populations. However, research on the effects of this therapy in pediatric patients is lacking. This study sought to analyze the effects of Reiki therapy on pediatric patients receiving palliative care, using heart rate variability as an objective measure of stress. This study was a secondary analysis of a larger parent study. It was completed using a quasi-experimental, single-group design. Young pediatric palliative care patients, ages 1-5 years undergoing long-term hospitalization at a Midwestern children’s hospital underwent Reiki therapy sessions which were administered twice per week over the course of three weeks. A Holter monitor was used to record the child’s heart rhythms during three Reiki session. This data was then analyzed using the MARS 5000® Ambulatory ECG Analysis and Editing System (General Electric, Inc.) to determine change in heart rate variability (HRV) over the course of the Reiki session, with an increase in variability indicating a decrease in stress and a decrease in variability indicating an increase in stress. Five participants completed Reiki sessions with ECG recordings (M_age= 29 months). There was a significant increase in mean high frequency (HF) HRV during the Reiki sessions for one participant during two of the three Reiki sessions (p<0.01) which remained significantly increased after the intervention was completed for both sessions. (p<0.01). There was a significant decrease in HF HRV during the Reiki session for three of the participants during one session each (p<0.01). Reiki therapy was associated with a decrease in stress for one child during two out of the three Reiki sessions and an increase in stress for three children during one session each. Due to these conflicting results, it is unclear if Reiki therapy is an effective method for reducing stress in young hospitalized children receiving palliative care. Further research on this topic is needed to determine its efficacy in this population.