Use of a Pressure Vest to Reduce the Physiological Arousal of People with Profound Intellectual and Physical Disabilities During Routine Nail Care

Abstract

This single subject ABAB study explored whether the use of a commercially available deep pressure vest would decrease physiological arousal in a male with profound mental retardation during nail care activities. Psychophysiological responses of electrodermal activity, skin temperature, electromyography, and heart rate were used as indicators of physiological arousal and recorded using the NeXus-10. Visual and statistical analysis revealed that the use of the deep pressure vest did not reduce physiological arousal during nail care.