Evaluation of Psychological and Physiological Reaction of Reflexology on Postpartum Stress

Abstract

We investigated the alleviation of postpartum stress with 15-minutes of reflexology in 12 puerperant 28-40 year-old women who had given birth for the first time and delivered with no complications. We used the Japanese short version of "Profile of Mood States" (POMS) to evaluate their psychological reaction and salivary chromogranin-A and salivary cortisol to evaluate their physiological reaction. As a result, while implementing reflexology the Japanese short version of "Profile of Mood States" (POMS) reduced the nervousness (anxiety) and depression (feeling down). When comparing the group in which reflexology was implemented and the group that had rested, the salivary cortisol had decreased more in the former group. These results suggest that relaxation and decrease in depression must be the psychological reactions and alleviation of stress must be a physiological reaction to reflexology.