Overview
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness of an intervention designed to improve wellness through aromatherapy. The main question it aims to answer is whether this intervention can deliver beneficial psychological effects on stress, anxiety and mood, as well as overall well-being.
Participants will receive a bottle with a no/neutral odor or an essential oil (or a blend of essential oils) for home administration and will be asked to complete a series of scales pre and post self-administration twice one week apart.
Description
The potential beneficial effects of a set of Essential Oils (EO) are being tested in the form of a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT). There are five conditions: a control (receiving a neutral/no-odor stimulus) and four active groups (receiving one of the four EO).
The study is a within-subjects/between-subjects design with five arms and involves comparisons between pre-intervention and post-intervention between: (a) Initial psychological states of the participants, and (b) After inhalation of the stimuli. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of the five experimental arms.
For medium effect sizes assumed (f = 0.25), 5 groups and two measurements in time (pre and post stimulus administration) a minimum of 80 subjects total sample size is needed.
Affective states (relaxation, contentment, happiness, motivation, tension), as well as data on mood; depression, anxiety, and stress will be assessed.
Data about familiarity, pleasantness and intensity of the stimuli will also be collected.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adults (at least 18 years old)
Exclusion Criteria:
- Allergies to Essential Oils
- Medical conditions that could have an effect on sense of smell