The Effect of Damask Rose and Orange Blossom on Anxiety in Older Adults

Abstract

Objective: Anxiety is often one of the biggest problems in human life and its consequences are quite noticeable. The use of medications for its control can cause side effects or drug dependence. Anxiety management, which is one of the most important nursing practices, can be done by non-pharmaceutical methods such as aromatherapy. This study aims to compare the effects of aromatherapy using the essential oils of damask rose and orange blossom on anxiety in older adults. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 60 older adults who were selected by using random numbers generated by RANDBETWEEN function in Excel. After obtaining a written informed consent from them, they were asked to inhale %10 damask rose essence for three nights. After one month, they underwent aromatherapy with %10 orange blossom essential oil. In each period, anxiety was measured by the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS). The collected data were analyzed using paired t-test, independent t-test, and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test in SPSS v. 25 software considering a statistical significance level of P<0.05. Results: Although the GAS score was reduced after aromatherapy with both essential oil (P<0.001), the changes in GAS score were not significantly different in the two periods using damask rose and orange blossom essential oils (P=0.729). Conclusion: Aromatherapy with both damask rose and orange blossom essential oils can reduce anxiety in the elderly.