Giving new meaning to the impact of touch in Shantala massage: mothers’ perceptions of maternal and child well-being

Abstract

Objectives: to understand maternal perceptions of maternal and child well-being based on Shantala massage and discuss its association with the third Sustainable Development Goal. Methods: a descriptive-exploratory study in the light of Symbolic Interactionism. Eight women, mothers of infants, participated in five online meetings to teach Shantala massage, collected in focus groups, between November and December 2021. The data was subjected to thematic content analysis and lexical analysis with IRAMUTEQ®. Results: two categories emerged, 1) Maternal perceptions of Shantala massage and its promotion of child well-being and 2) Maternal perceptions of Shantala massage and its impact on their well-being, interconnected with subcategories. Final Considerations: Shantala massage promoted mutual impacts on maternal and child well-being, working together to achieve the third Sustainable Development Goal.