Comparing the Effects of Aromatherapy on Dysmenorrhea by Research Design.
- Author:
Eun Hee CHOI
1
;
Ji Yeong SEO
Author Information
1. Department of Nursing, Youngnam College of Science & Technology, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Research design;
Aromatherapy;
Dysmenorrhea
- MeSH:
Aromatherapy;
Cross-Over Studies;
Dysmenorrhea;
Female;
Humans;
Inhalation;
Menstruation;
Research Design;
Students, Nursing
- From:Journal of Korean Academy of Adult Nursing
2010;22(1):31-40
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether there is difference in the effects of aromatherapy on dysmenorrhea by research design. METHODS: Findings from the two different research designs (Nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest [NCG] design vs. two-group crossover design) were compared in regard to the effect of aromatherapy on dysmenorrhea. The subjects of the NCG design and the crossover design were a total of 58 female nursing students. The treatments (aroma essential oil inhalation and carrier oil inhalation) were given using a necklace. The data were analyzed by Fisher's exact test, t-test, Mann-Whitney test, paired t-test, and Shapiro-Wilk test using the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program. The effect size for the two research designs was calculated. RESULTS: In both research designs, the level of dysmenorrhea and menstrual pain after the aroma treatment were not significantly different from those after the placebo treatment. The effect size of the NCG design was higher than that of the crossover design. CONCLUSION: Aroma inhalation may not be effective in managing dysmenorrhea and menstrual pain. In order to further clarify the efficiency of research design and the effect of aromatherapy on discomfort during menstruation, replication studies are necessary. Future studies need to examine the effects of different research design on non-interval variables.
