The Effect of Keraton Tea Aromatherapy on Anxiety Levels Among Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy
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Aromatherapy,
Cancer,
Chemotherapy,
Keraton Tea
Main Article Content
Joko Pitoyo
Kusman Ibrahim
Chandra Isabella Hostanida Purba
Abstract
Background: Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Patients undergoing chemotherapy experience not only various physical symptoms but also psychological problems, particularly anxiety, which may adversely affect their quality of life and treatment adherence. One complementary therapy that has the potential to reduce anxiety is Keraton Tea aromatherapy, which induces relaxation through stimulation of the olfactory system.
Aims: This study aimed to determine the effect of Keraton Tea aromatherapy on anxiety levels among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy at Raden Mattaher Regional General Hospital, Jambi Province.
Methods: This study used a pretest–posttest control group design in a quasi-experimental manner. Using total sampling, 60 respondents who satisfied the inclusion criteria were gathered and divided into two groups: an intervention group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) was used to assess anxiety levels. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and the Mann-Whitney U Test with a significance level of α = 0.05 were used to evaluate the data.
Results: According to the findings, the majority of participants in the intervention and control groups 80.0% and 56.7%, respectively had mild anxiety prior to the intervention. The percentage of individuals in the intervention group who experienced no anxiety rose from 3.3% to 23.3% after receiving Keraton Tea Aromatherapy, while the improvement in the control group was comparatively less. Both the intervention group (Z = −4.468; p < 0.001) and the control group (Z = −2.032; p = 0.042) showed a substantial decrease in anxiety levels before and after the intervention, according to the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Prior to the intervention, there was no discernible difference in the two groups' baseline anxiety levels, according to the Mann-Whitney U test (p = 0.129). However, following the intervention, there were significant differences between the intervention and control groups in the change in anxiety scores (Δ = pretest − posttest) (p < 0.001), suggesting that the intervention group experienced a significantly higher reduction in anxiety than the control group.
Conclusion: For cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, Keraton Tea aromatherapy effectively lowers anxiety levels. This treatment could be viewed as an additional non-pharmacological nursing intervention to help reduce anxiety during chemotherapy.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Joko Pitoyo, Kusman Ibrahim, Chandra Isabella Hostanida Purba
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