The Effect of Massage Therapy on Anxiety Levels Experienced by Traditional-Aged Undergraduate Business Students.

Background: Anxiety is a prevalent concern among college students, impairing academic performance and increasing attrition risk for universities. Effective interventions are needed to reduce overall and test anxiety during high-stakes assessments. Purpose: This study explored the effect of massage therapy (MT) in reducing overall and test anxiety in traditional-aged undergraduate business students compared to a comparison group engaged in a relaxation activity (adult coloring). Setting: A private liberal arts university in the southeastern United States. Participants: Undergraduate business students (aged 18-23 years) enrolled in accounting, business administration, finance, economics, or marketing. Research Design: Quantitative, quasi-experimental, repeated-measures design with both within-subjects (pre-post) and between-subjects (MT vs. adult coloring) evaluations. Intervention: The experimental group received a 30-min MT session administered by a licensed massage therapist 2 h prior to a final exam. The comparison group engaged in a 30-min adult coloring activity. Main Outcome Measure: Anxiety levels were assessed pre- and post-intervention with the Adult Manifest Anxiety Scale-College Version (AMAS-C). Results: MT significantly reduced overall anxiety (mean (M) = 58.79 to 51.68, Conclusion: A 30-min MT intervention effectively reduced overall and test anxiety among traditional-aged undergraduate business students when administered within a 2-h window prior to a final exam. MT demonstrates promise as a non-pharmacological strategy to support students during high-stakes academic assessments.