<p> A quantitative, randomized, pretest, posttest study was conducted to assess the effect of aromatherapy on cognitive test anxiety among nursing students. Sophomore nursing students (n = 39) from a private, 4-year college, were randomized into either the control group (n = 18) or the experimental group (n = 21). Each participant completed the Cognitive Test Anxiety Survey (Cassady; 2001, 2004, 2010) twice; once for baseline data, and a second time after the intervention for comparison. Students in the experimental group completed their second exam in a room with diffused aromatherapy, and the control group remained in a classroom without aromatherapy. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed for this study. There were no significant differences between the control and study group in relation to baseline cognitive anxiety scores (<i>M</i> = 78.17, <i>M</i> = 73.62) respectively. In the control group, there was a 3 point decrease in cognitive test anxiety scores between pretest and posttest. However, there was a significant decrease in cognitive test anxiety scores between the students who received aromatherapy and those who did not (<i>p</i> = 0.10). Age and gender were not moderating variables in this study. This novel discovery suggested that aromatherapy has a positive effect on cognitive test anxiety among nursing students, and warrants further research in nursing education.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3565593 |
| Date | 14 August 2013 |
| Creators | Johnson, Catherine E. |
| Publisher | Capella University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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