Impact of Aromatherapy Massage on Postoperative Emotional Status and Sleep Pattern among Women Undergoing Cervical Cancer

Abstract

: Background : Cervical cancer is preventable; it is a major gynecological disorder among women currently. Cervical cancer treatment is associated with several physical challenges, including impaired sleep which can impair patients’ immune systems, and cognitive abilities which is associated with depression, anxiety, and decreased cognitive function. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the impact of aromatherapy massage on postoperative emotional status and sleep patterns among women undergoing cervical cancer. Design : A quasi-experimental design was used to achieve this study. Setting: The study was conducted at the inpatient and outpatient clinics in Sohag Oncology institution. Subject : A purposive sampling technique was used to select The sample of this study consisted of 100 cervical cancer women who were divided into two groups an experimental group and a control group including 50 patients in each one. Tools: Three tools were used (I) the cervical cancer women personal data sheet, (II) and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), and (III) the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ). Results: The present study revealed that cervical cancer women's postoperative emotional status (stress, depression, and anxiety levels) in both experimental groups was severe before the implementation of the aromatherapy massage while these levels became low after implementation. There were highly statistically significant differences and improvements between cervical cancer women such as depression, anxiety, and stress levels in both experimental and control groups pre and post-implementation of aromatherapy massage at (P= <0.05). Also, the results indicated that the experimental group had improvement in their mean score of 53.80 ± 13.20 and the control group had a mean score of 29.08 ± 9.71 with a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the groups. Conclusion : The study achieved significant improvements in the emotional status and sleep patterns among cervical cancer women. Recommendations : Cervical cancer women should understand the aromatherapy massage approach as a straightforward and practical strategy to improve their emotional status and enhance sleep quality.