Efektivitas Masase dalam Menurunkan Stress Mahasiswa: Literatur Review

Abstract

College students often experience academic stress due to assignments, examinations, and learning environment pressures. Uncontrolled stress can negatively affect mental health, concentration, and academic performance. One non-pharmacological method used to help reduce stress is massage, which involves gentle manipulation of soft tissues aimed at relieving muscle tension and inducing relaxation. This paper aims to review studies discussing the effects of massage on students’ stress levels. Articles were searched through Google Scholar, PubMed, ResearchGate, and Garuda. The review findings indicate that massage can subjectively reduce student stress, particularly through feelings of relaxation and decreased muscle tension. However, physiological measurements such as stress hormone levels remain inconsistent across studies. Massage can serve as a simple and affordable complementary approach to help reduce student stress, yet further research in Indonesia is needed.