摘要
Postpartum depression is a major problem worldwide. Approximately three fourths of all women who suffer from postnatal depression are afflicted by emotional instability and experience the effects of a number of physical psychological disorders. Aromatherapy and a massage with essential oils have been shown to decrease depression and improve feelings of well-being and quality of sleep. To analyze the effects of aromatherapy massages in reducing postpartum depression women. Fifty-eight participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, and each group consisted of 29 participants. The experimental group received essential oil massages twice a day for a period of 25 days and the control group was provided with a general nursing care session. The Chinese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was administrated twice: at the beginning and at the end of the study to measure the changes in scores. Participants in the experimental group showed 37.18% decrease in postpartum depression versus only a 7.25% reduction in the control group. The 25-day aromatherapy session designed for the study showed overall improvements in the postpartum depression of the experimental group; however, no significant changes were observed in the control group. This study confirms that aromatherapy treatments significantly reduce postpartum depression.