Effects of Auricular Acupressure Therapy on Psychological Factors, Sleep Quality, and Salivary Cortisol Levels in South Korean Older Adults in the Community: A Single-blind, Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of auricular acupressure (AA) therapy on psychological factors, sleep quality, and salivary cortisol levels in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This was a single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled comparative pretest-posttest study that applied AA for three weeks. The experimental group received AA on the shenmen, sympathetic, subcortical, and adrenal areas, while the control group received acupuncture in four areas along the helix. Nineteen participants were assigned to the experimental group and 21 to the control group. All participants were community-dwelling seniors aged 65 years or older who had an Insomnia Severity Index score of 8 or higher and experienced psychological stress. Depression, anxiety, and stress were measured using the Korean version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale for psychological factors, and the Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and morning salivary cortisol levels were measured to evaluate sleep quality. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed between the groups for depression (t=5.56, <i>p</i><.001), anxiety (t=3.53, <i>p</i>=.001), and stress (t=3.55, <i>p</i>=.001). The PSQI (t=4.72, <i>p</i><.001) and salivary cortisol levels (z=-4.21, <i>p</i><.001) showed statistically significant differences between the groups. Conclusion: AA demonstrated its effectiveness as an intervention for addressing complex symptoms in community-dwelling older adults. It was found to alleviate depression, anxiety, and stress, enhance sleep quality, and reduce salivary cortisol levels.