Effectiveness of Aromatherapy Treatment in Alleviating Fatigue and Promoting Relaxation of Mothers during the Early Postpartum Period  

作　　者：Kyoko Asazawa Yoshihiro Kato Ryosuke Koinuma Nao Takemoto Shiho Tsutsui 

机构地区：[1]Department of Nursing, Tokyo Healthcare University, Tokyo, Japan [2]Tokyo Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan

出　　处：《Open Journal of Nursing》2018年第3期196-209,共14页护理学期刊（英文）

摘　　要：Background: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of aroma hand treatment in alleviating fatigue and promoting relaxation of mothers in their early postpartum period. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a two-group pretest-post-test design which used purposive sampling and non-random assignment of 242 consenting Japanese early postpartum mothers who were patients from a hospital maternity unit in Tokyo, Japan. The intervention involved a 20-minute aroma hand treatment using an effleurage method. The participants selected from 5 essential oils: pure lavender, ylang-ylang, citron, rosewood, and sweet orange. Relaxation promotion and fatigue alleviation as the main outcomes were measured using self-administered valid and reliable questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed using the two-sample t-test, two-way factorial ANOVA, and simple main effect test. SPSS ver. 23.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for data analysis at a 5% significance level. Results: Of 242 participants (intervention group, n = 122;comparison group, n = 120), 229 participants (intervention group, n = 115;comparison group, n = 114) were analyzed per protocol. The intervention group showed a significant improvement in relaxation (t = 6.43, p < 0.001). A significant difference in the simple main effect test of relaxation (F = 37.58, p < 0.001) was found. However, there was no significant reduction in fatigue. The majority (88.4%) of the participants indicated high satisfaction with the aroma hand treatment, and 90.5% evaluated the length of intervention time as appropriate. Conclusions: The aroma hand treatment effectively promoted relaxation of early postpartum mothers, but was less effective in alleviating their fatigue. Based on their high satisfaction rate, aroma hand treatment using essential oils may be considered effective in promoting relaxation of early postpartum mothers.Background: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of aroma hand treatment in alleviating fatigue and promoting relaxation of mothers in their early postpartum period. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a two-group pretest-post-test design which used purposive sampling and non-random assignment of 242 consenting Japanese early postpartum mothers who were patients from a hospital maternity unit in Tokyo, Japan. The intervention involved a 20-minute aroma hand treatment using an effleurage method. The participants selected from 5 essential oils: pure lavender, ylang-ylang, citron, rosewood, and sweet orange. Relaxation promotion and fatigue alleviation as the main outcomes were measured using self-administered valid and reliable questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed using the two-sample t-test, two-way factorial ANOVA, and simple main effect test. SPSS ver. 23.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for data analysis at a 5% significance level. Results: Of 242 participants (intervention group, n = 122;comparison group, n = 120), 229 participants (intervention group, n = 115;comparison group, n = 114) were analyzed per protocol. The intervention group showed a significant improvement in relaxation (t = 6.43, p < 0.001). A significant difference in the simple main effect test of relaxation (F = 37.58, p < 0.001) was found. However, there was no significant reduction in fatigue. The majority (88.4%) of the participants indicated high satisfaction with the aroma hand treatment, and 90.5% evaluated the length of intervention time as appropriate. Conclusions: The aroma hand treatment effectively promoted relaxation of early postpartum mothers, but was less effective in alleviating their fatigue. Based on their high satisfaction rate, aroma hand treatment using essential oils may be considered effective in promoting relaxation of early postpartum mothers.

关 键 词：AROMATHERAPY POSTPARTUM PERIOD FATIGUE RELAXATION 

分 类 号：R73[医药卫生—肿瘤]