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Effect of Therapeutic Touch Based on Watson's Human Care Theory Applied to Infants With Infantile Colic for Different

Selda Ates Besirik1, Emine Geçkil2

  • 1Department of Pediatric Nursing, Department of Nursing, Bucak School of Health, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Türkiye.

Western Journal of Nursing Research
|March 18, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Therapeutic touch effectively reduced infant colic symptoms, including crying and sleep disturbances. A two-week intervention showed greater and longer-lasting benefits compared to a one-week session.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nursing
  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  • Infant Health

Background:

  • Infantile colic affects a significant number of infants, causing distress to both infants and parents.
  • Current management strategies for infantile colic have varying degrees of effectiveness.
  • Watson's Human Care Theory provides a framework for understanding the impact of caring touch on well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of different durations of therapeutic touch on infantile colic symptoms.
  • To compare the effects of one-week versus two-week therapeutic touch interventions.
  • To assess the impact on crying time, sleep duration, and the Infant Colic Scale (ICS).

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving 96 infants (4-8 weeks old) diagnosed with infantile colic.
  • Infants were randomized into three groups: one week of therapeutic touch, two weeks of therapeutic touch, or usual care.
  • Therapeutic touch was administered three times per week, with data collected at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 4, and 8.

Main Results:

  • Statistically significant differences were observed in crying time, sleep time, and ICS scores across all groups (P < .001).
  • Therapeutic touch significantly reduced crying and improved sleep in infants compared to the control group.
  • The two-week therapeutic touch group exhibited greater and more sustained improvements than the one-week group.

Conclusions:

  • Therapeutic touch, guided by Watson's Human Care Theory, is an effective intervention for reducing infantile colic symptoms.
  • Increasing the duration of therapeutic touch interventions enhances the benefits for infants experiencing colic.
  • This non-pharmacological approach offers a promising option for managing infant colic.
Abstract

Keywords:
Watson’s Human Care Theorycryinginfantinfantile colictherapeutic touch

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