Anxiety
Conditions
Keywords
Aromatherapy
Brief summary
This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of aromatherapy as an intervention to reduce test anxiety and improve academic performance. The Investigators hypothesize that exposure to aromatherapy during assessments will lead to lower levels of test anxiety and result in higher quiz and test scores.
Interventions
OTHEREssential Oil 1
Participants will complete short tasks before and after quizzes and tests that are part of normal coursework. Prior to each assessment, participants will apply aromatherapy (doTERRA ADAPTIV) using a roller bottle (Weeks 5-12 only), sit quietly for 3 minutes, and record resting Heart Rate and Blood Pressure. T After completing the quiz/test, participants will repeat HR and BP measurements and complete a brief post-assessment questionnaire.
OTHEREssential Oil 2
Participants will complete short tasks before and after quizzes and tests that are part of normal coursework. Prior to each assessment, participants will apply aromatherapy (doTERRA Thinker) using a roller bottle (Weeks 5-12 only), sit quietly for 3 minutes, and record resting Heart Rate and Blood Pressure. T After completing the quiz/test, participants will repeat HR and BP measurements and complete a brief post-assessment questionnaire.
Sponsors
Jenalee Hinds
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* current student * participating in selected course at the University
Exclusion criteria
* allergy to essential oils * pregnant
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS) | Baseline and Week 12 | The WTAS consists of 10 items, each using a Likert response scale where 1= "Never true" and 5= "always true. Total score is divided by 10 to obtain final scores. The total score ranges from one to five with higher scores equating to greater anxiety. |
| Change in heart rate (HR) pre aromatherapy | week 3 and week 4 | heart rate will be measured with a fitness tracker before and after quizzes/tests |
| Change in blood pressure (BP) pre aromatherapy | week 3 and week 4 | both systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured with a fitness tracker before and after quizzes/tests |
| Change in heart rate (HR) with aromatherapy | Week 5 through Week 12 | heart rate will be measured with a fitness tracker before and after quizzes/tests |
| Change in blood pressure (BP) with aromatherapy | Week 5 through Week 12 | both systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured with a fitness tracker before and after quizzes/tests |
| Change in Stress Performance Evaluation (SPE) | Baseline and week 12 | percent test questions correct (number of test questions correct out of hundred)\]/ percent change in heart rate (heart rate at baseline)/(heart rate after testing) × 100)\] |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJenalee Hinds, PhD
University of Kentucky
Outcome results
None listed