A Qualitative Scoping Review of Massage and Massage Therapy on the Mental Health and Well-being of Individuals Living with a Serious and Potentially Life-limiting Physical Illness.

Serious illness "is a health condition that carries a high risk of mortality and either negatively impacts a person's daily function or quality of life or excessively strains their caregivers." The aim of this review was to explore the contribution of massage and massage therapy to the mental health and well-being of individuals living with a serious and potentially life-limiting illness. A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O'Malley's six-step scoping review framework and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE (OVID), PsychINFO, CENTRAL, Web of Science, PROQUEST Dissertations and Theses, and Scopus were searched to identify qualitative or mixed-methods studies. The qualitative data were coded from the studies and themes emerged. For the final stage of analysis, a thematic synthesis was utilized. Sixteen papers were included from eight countries. The overarching theme was "the effable and ineffable impacts of massage" informed by the following themes: massage as a transcendent experience, existential respite, massage helping to preserve dignity, increased inner resources, well-being and relaxation as part of the individualized and personalized vocabulary for massage for the seriously ill, and varied outcomes of the effect of massage on physical symptoms. Good mental health and well-being are important aspects of living well with serious illness. The review found there is a considerable body of research which points to the value and impact of massage on outcomes of well-being and mental health and, broadly, on patient experience.