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KMID : 1145120180160030321
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Asian Journal of Beauty and Cosmetology
2018 Volume.16 No. 3 p.321 ~ p.331
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Effects of Aroma Inhalation on Stress, Fatigue and Depression among Nurses Working in Intensive Care Unit
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Jung Eun-Young
Song Ji-Hyeun
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Abstract
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Purpose: This study aims to throw light on the effectiveness of aroma inhalation therapy as a countermeasure in managing the stress, fatigue, and depression levels of nurses working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The data collected for this study was used as the primary material for designing intervention measures aimed at reducing the stress, fatigue, and depression levels of the nurses.
Method: Questionnaires were administered to nurses working in the ICU in general hospital; the questionnaires were administered for a period of one month, starting from November, 2017. Subjects were required to wear an aroma necklace for over 8 h every day for 5 days. In total, we analyzed 33 questionnaires to assess the subjects’ stress, fatigue, and depression levels.
Results: The average age of the subjects was 27.79 years, and the total work experience was 61.79 months. The average work experience of the ICU nurses was 40.42 months. The stress level of the subjects was 29.79 before inhalation. After aroma inhalation, however, their stress level dropped to 25.03 (p =0.004). In addition, the subjects’ fatigue level, which was measured in terms of emotional exhaustion, occupational self-esteem, and cynicism, was also significantly alleviated by aroma inhalation; their fatigue level dropped from 22.18 to 19.12. Aroma inhalation also had a positive impact on the subjects’ depression score; their depression score was 25.58 before inhalation and 20.64 (p <0.001) after inhalation.
Conclusion: The results show that aroma inhalation therapy reduces the stress, job exhaustion, and depression experienced by the ICU nurses. However, the results of this study cannot be generalized due to the following limitations: (i) the number of ICU in J-district and (ii) the short duration of this study. Thus, it is necessary to further examine the efficacy of aroma inhalation therapy as an intervention plan. To this end, the efficacy of this method should be tested on nurses working in units other than the ICU.
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KEYWORD
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Aromatherapy, Stress, Fatigue, Depression, Intensive care unit nurses
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