Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of aroma inhalation on nursing students' stress responses and anxiety before their first clinical practice.
METHOD
Data were collected during the period from March 5 to March 10, 2007 at K College in a province. There were seventy eight subjects, 35 for the experimental group and 38 for the control group. Aroma oils used were lavender, peppermint and rosemary. Before and after the treatment, the severity of stress and anxiety were evaluated by VAS and a questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test and chi2-test with the SPSS program.
RESULT
The score of subjective stress (VAS) decreased significantly after aroma inhalation (p=.000), but status anxiety was not significantly different between the two groups (p=.649).
CONCLUSION
Aroma inhalation can be a useful intervention to reduce nursing student's stress before their first clinical practice.

• Keywords: Aromatherapy;Stress;Anxiety