What are the potential benefits of massage therapy for healthy infants born to depressed mothers?
Description of the study population: Subjects were 40 full-term, 1- to 3-month-old infants born to depressed adolescent mothers. The infants attended the investigators daycare nursery from birth, when they were recruited for this research, and throughout the period of their study participation. The infants birthweight and Apgar scores were normal. Their mothers were depressed, unmarried adolescents of low socioeconomic status who were on public assistance; 65% were African American and 35% were Hispanic. The diagnosis of depression followed the infants delivery. Of the mothers who met eligibility requirements at time of childbirth, 4% were no longer depressed at the time this research began (1 to 3 months postpartum) and thus were not recruited for the study. Design: Infants were randomly assigned to a massage-therapy group or to a rocking control group. Mothers were unaware of which therapy their infants were receiving. Description of intervention: Massage-therapy infants received a 1
