Post-stroke depression and anxiety are the most common emotional changes after
a stroke. They can impair patient's functional recovery, rehabilitation and community
reintegration. It was postulated that applying skillful nursing interventions, such as the Slow
Stroke Back Massage (SSBM), can improve patient's levels of depression and anxiety.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of slow stroke back massage on
depression and anxiety among post-stroke geriatric patients. Setting: The study was
conducted at the neuropsychiatry inpatient unit in El-Hadara University Hospital for
Orthopaedics and Neuropsychiatry, Alexandria, Egypt. Subjects: The study subjects
comprised 50 post-stroke geriatric male patients. Tools: Four tools were used to collect data;
the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) Scale, Geriatric Patients' Socio-Demographic
and Clinical Data Structured Interview Schedule, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form
(GDS-SF) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Results: The percentages of subjects who had
moderate and severe levels of depression significantly decreased after applying the SSBM.
The percentage of those who had moderate level of anxiety significantly decreased, while no
patient was found to have severe anxiety after receiving the SSBM. Conclusion: The SSBM is
a clinically effective nursing intervention that can significantly reduce levels of depression
and anxiety among post-stroke geriatric patients. Recommendations: Include the SSBM as an
integral part in the gerontological and psychiatric nursing courses, and develop training
programs for both nurses and caregivers of post-stroke geriatric patients about the SSBM.