Structure of psychological stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and effects of essential oil odor exposure

Abstract

This research investigated the psychological stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examined the effects of essential oil odor exposure during this period. An official stay-at-home restriction order was implemented in May 2020. We sent essential oils to the homes of 30 participants. The participants received emails 5 times a day for 6 days. They reported their recent use of the essential oils and how they felt before and after using them by means of the Two-Dimension Mood Scale. The participants also reported their circumstances and intentions when using the oils. Results showed that the vitality and stability levels increased significantly after essential oil odor exposure. In addition, four psychological stress structures were obtained using the evaluation grid method. The results suggest that some of the participants felt conflicted about balancing housework, childcare, and work. They were the most stressed, and after essential oil odor exposure, their vitality and stability levels increased considerably.