Acupressure and preoperative parental anxiety: a pilot study

METHODS: Sixty-one parents received acupressure either at the Yin Yang point (midpoint between the two eyebrows) or at a sham point. Anxiety (as measured by the Stait-Trait Anxiety Inventory), arterial blood pressure, and heart rate were assessed before and after the intervention and a Bispectral Index monitor was used to continuously monitor hypnotic sedation levels. RESULTS: Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that parents in the acupressure group reported significantly less anxiety at 20 min post-intervention as compared with parents in the sham group. Bispectral Index values, heart rate, and arterial blood pressure, however, did not differ between the two study groups.