芳香療法對不同壓力族群之生心理調節成效：以大學生與護理人員為對象的重複量數分析研究

研究目的：芳香療法是一種廣泛應用的輔助療法，已被證實可有效緩解生理與心理壓力。然而芳香療法對不同壓力族群之生理與心理調節成效，是否一致，尚未有實證研究加以驗證。本研究旨在探討以薰衣草精油為基礎之芳香療法，透過按摩或嗅吸結合音樂，對兩種不同族群，大學生與臨床護理人員在焦慮與抑鬱減緩方面的成效。研究方法：研究設計採單組重複測量的準實驗設計，以二組進行比較，選取COVID-19疫情期間之女性臨床護理人員與技職體系女性大學生為對象。第一組樣本為某科技大學66位二年級女性大學生，於三週內每隔週接受一次15分鐘之肩頸部位芳香療法按摩，使用5%薰衣草精油(以甜杏仁油為基底稀釋)，由同儕進行操作，並於每次介入前安排5分鐘靜坐穩定生理狀態。第二組樣本則為COVID-19疫情期間中部某教學醫院60位女性護理人員，每隔週午休期間接受一次20分鐘之芳香療法嗅吸結合輕音樂之介入方式，介入時程亦為期三週。兩組皆於每次介入前後測量心理指標，評估指標包括心理與生理兩大面向：心理測量採用貝克焦慮量表(Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI)與貝克憂鬱量表(Beck Depression Inventory, BDI)，生理測量則涵蓋收縮壓(Systolic Blood Pressure, SBP)、舒張壓(Diastolic Blood Pressure, DBP)與心跳速率(Pulse Rate, PR)，均於每次介入前後進行紀錄，作為生理指標進行評估與心理壓力之影響。統計方法採配對樣本t檢定與重複量數單因子變異數分析。研究結果：兩組受試者在三週介入後，其心理與生理指標皆有顯著改善，並呈現隨時間下降之趨勢。大學生組於每次介入後之焦慮、抑鬱程度與生理壓力指標明顯下降，顯示芳香療法按摩具有即時且持續之正向成效。護理人員組則在單一芳香療法與結合音樂介入下均顯改善效果，尤以結合音樂者對焦慮與抑鬱之舒緩效益更為顯著，展現多感官介入之增益作用。經過雙變項比較後，二組樣本抑鬱指標未達顯著差異，但焦慮及所有生理具有差異顯著。不過二因子混和設計變異數分析(Two-way ANOVA, mixed design)後，僅焦慮在組別間有顯著，其他指標未呈現組別之差異。研究結論：綜合本研究之結果可知，薰衣草精油為介質之芳香療法，無論透過按摩形式應用於大學生或以嗅吸及結合音樂方式應用於臨床護理人員，皆能有效緩解身心壓力，顯著降低焦慮情緒，並促進生理指標之穩定。此非藥物性、具低副作用之輔助介入方式，不僅具即時效果，更展現累積性與持續性之療癒潛力，提供校園與臨床現場可行且具實證基礎之壓力調適策略。未來建議可擴大樣本與延長介入期程，以深入探討芳香療法之長期效益與不同模式之適用性，進一步強化其在身心健康促進領域之實務應用價值。

Purpose of the Study: Aromatherapy is a widely used complementary therapy that has been proven effective in alleviating both physical and psychological stress. However, whether its regulatory effects on physiological and psychological responses are consistent across different stress-exposed populations remains unverified by empirical studies. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of lavender-based aromatherapy administered through massage or inhalation combined with music on reducing anxiety and depression in two distinct groups: university students and clinical nurses.Methods: A quasi-experimental design with a single-group repeated measures approach was adopted to compare two groups: female clinical nurses and female university students from a technical and vocational education system, both recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two groups were included for comparison. The first group consisted of 66 second-year female students from a university of science and technology, who received 15-minute shoulder and neck aromatherapy massages using 5% lavender essential oil (diluted with sweet almond oil) once every two weeks over a three-week period. The massages were administered by trained peers, and participants were instructed to sit quietly for five minutes prior to each session to stabilize their physiological state. The second group included 60 female nurses from a teaching hospital in central during the COVID-19 pandemic. They received 20-minute sessions of lavender aromatherapy inhalation combined with soft music once every two weeks during their lunch breaks, over a three-week period. For both groups, physiological and psychological measurements were taken before and after each session. Psychological indicators included the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), while physiological indicators consisted of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse rate (PR). Paired-sample t-tests and one-way repeated measures ANOVA were used for statistical analysis.Results: After the three-week intervention, both groups showed significant improvements in psychological and physiological indicators, with a decreasing trend over time. In the university student group, levels of anxiety, depression, and physiological stress significantly decreased after each intervention, indicating immediate and sustained effects of aromatherapy massage. Among the clinical nurses, both the single aromatherapy and the music-integrated interventions yielded improvements, with the combined approach demonstrating greater effectiveness in reducing anxiety and depression, highlighting the enhanced impact of multisensory interventions.Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that lavender-based aromatherapy, whether applied through massage for university students or through inhalation combined with music for clinical nurses, effectively alleviated physical and psychological stress, significantly reduced anxiety levels, and promoted stabilization of physiological indicators. As a non-pharmacological and low-risk complementary intervention, aromatherapy not only provided immediate effects but also exhibited cumulative and sustained therapeutic potential. This evidence-based strategy offers a feasible and practical approach to stress management in both educational and clinical settings. Future research is recommended to expand sample sizes and extend intervention durations to further explore the long-term benefits and applicability of various aromatherapy modalities, thereby enhancing its practical value in the promotion of holistic health.