The Effect of Baby Massage Therapy on Sleep Quality of Infants Aged 0-12 Months at The Madonna Clinic

Abstract

Sleep quality is essential for infant development, impacting brain growth, immune function, and emotional health. Approximately 30% of infants experience sleep disorders, which can negatively affect both infants and parents. Baby massage therapy is a holistic, non-invasive approach that may improve sleep quality in infants. This study aimed to assess the impact of baby massage therapy on the sleep quality of infants aged 0-12 months at the Madonna Clinic, South Kalimantan. A pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach was used, involving 30 healthy infants selected through purposive sampling. The intervention consisted of baby massage therapy administered by trained therapists twice a week for 4 weeks. Sleep quality was measured using a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index adaptation before and after the therapy. Results showed that the average sleep quality score before therapy was 6.40 (SD 1.15), which increased to 8.20 (SD 0.96) after therapy. Data analysis using the Paired Sample T-Test revealed a significant improvement (mean difference of -1.80, t = -8.42, p = 0.000). In conclusion, baby massage therapy significantly improved the sleep quality of infants. This safe, non-pharmacological intervention is effective in addressing sleep problems and fostering emotional bonding between parents and infants.