This study was to examine the effects of foot reflexion massage on sleep disturbance, depression disorder, and the physiological index of the elderly in nursing homes.

The research design was a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study. The subjects in this study were 50 elderly people who resided in two different nursing homes in the same region. An experimental group and a control group were organized with 25 subjects respectively, and foot reflexion massage was provided for 12 sessions, 30 minutes per session. The selected dependent variables were sleep disturbance, depression disorder, and physiological indices(blood plasma serotonin, serum cortisol), which were all measured before and after foot reflexion massage was offered. Data analysis included χ²-test, t-test, paired t-test, and ANCOVA, using the SPSS program package.

1. The experimental group improved sleep quality more than the control group. 2. The experimental group had less depression disorder than the control group. 3. The experimental group had higher serotonin levels than the control group.

It's necessary to give foot reflexion massage as a successful nursing intervention to elderly who undergo a change in sleep, and suffer from a depression disorder due to a deterioration in sleep.