A Scoping Review of Tactile Deprivation in Clinical Practice: Sequelae and Intervention Mechanisms

Abstract Book of the 7th International Conference on Research in Psychology

Year: 2026

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A Scoping Review of Tactile Deprivation in Clinical Practice: Sequelae and Intervention Mechanisms

Sanyukta Golaya

ABSTRACT:

The COVID-19 pandemic brought along with it a host of psychological adversities, including a certain academically under-researched phenomenon: touch hunger. Despite increasing research examining this novel condition (which may even be considered clinical, given the range of psychiatric/psychological manifestations of the same), there remains a significant gap concerning certain dimensions of this biopsychosocial variable. The present scoping review seeks to fill the aforementioned gap by addressing four such relatively unexplored and undertheorized domains in the literature, by synthesizing the limited available work on each aspect. These include providing an operational definition of the construct (as opposed to those that largely differ across scientific disciplines and contexts), assessing the heterogenous range of extant measurement tools (ranging from physiological and objective to psychological self-reports), highlighting specific populations most likely to be affected by this, and consolidating the array of interventions proposed to deal with the experience of such a variable. Sources such as PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus were searched, and peer-reviewed articles on skin hunger, touch deprivation and related tactile interventions within adolescent and adult populations. Implications for professionals and clinicians include providing a comprehensive overview of underexplored components of this condition, along with spurring discussions on the overlooked sociocultural, professional and ethical aspects of understanding and treating individuals experiencing this state.

Keywords: Biopsychosocial Stress; Mental Health; Social Touch Depravation; Therapeutic Touch; Touch Hunger