Objective Touch is one of the first strong positive senses that develop in neonate. Therapeutic touch could be considered as a complementary treatment in Neonate intensive care units (NICU).

Design This quasi experimental study was conducted to compare the effect of Yakson and GHT on behavioral reaction of preterm infants hospitalized in NICU in South-East of Iran.

Patients 90 preterm infants participated in this study. They randomly divided into 3 groups: 1) Yakson group, n=30, 2) GHT group, n=30, 3) control group, n=30.

Methods Each infant received the GHT and Yakson interventions twice a day for 5 days. Each session lasted 15 minutes. The control group received routine nursing care.

Results In interventional group, an increase was found in sleep state score after the Yakson and GHT intervention. Their awake and fussy states’ scores decreased after both interventions. No significant difference was found between Yakson and GHT group in their behavioral state scores.

Conclusions The findings suggest that Yakson and GHT had soothing and calming effect on preterm infants and could be beneficial in nursing interventions.