The Effect of Rosa Damascena Aromatherapy on Reducing Stress Levels in Students Undertaking Thesis at Santa Elisabeth Medical Science College Medan in 2025

Abstract

Stress is the body’s response to excessive pressure that can affect an individual’s physical and psychological condition, including final-year students who are preparing their thesis due to academic demands, time pressure, and obstacles in the supervision process. If not properly managed, stress can negatively impact physical health, psychological well-being, and cognitive performance. Therefore, non-pharmacological therapies such as Rosa damascena aromatherapy are needed, as they are effective in reducing stress levels and easy to apply by anyone. This study employed a one-group pretest–posttest design with 30 final-year students, selected using purposive sampling. The intervention is Rosa damascena aromatherapy administered via a diffuser for 30 minutes, three times per week. Measurement of stress levels before the intervention show a mean score indicating severe stress (20.50), while after the intervention there is a decrease to a moderate stress level (11.73). Data analysis using the paired t-test yielded a result of p = 0.001 (p < 0.005), indicating a significant effect of Rosa damascena aromatherapy on reducing stress levels among final-year students. It is expected that students can continue to control their stress levels by using Rosa damascena aromatherapy with appropriate composition, frequency, and duration.