A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Yoga and Lavender on Symptoms of Depression in Elderly Women

Aim and Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the elderly. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of a course of yoga training and lavender use on depression in elderly women.
Methods and Materials: The present quasi-experiment was performed with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The participants consisted of 40 elderly women aged between 60 and 70 years. They were selected using convenience sampling. The subjects were randomly assigned to 4 groups; the control group, yoga practice group, group of yoga practice combined with lavender use in the first month of training, and group of yoga practice combined with lavender use in the second month of training. All three experimental groups practiced yoga for 2 months. The difference between the experimental groups was in the inhalation of lavender essence. The data collection tool used in this study was the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).
Findings: The results showed greater reduction in depression in the combined groups compared to the yoga practice group. However, there was no significant difference between the two combined groups.
Based on the findings of this study, physical activity and inhalation of lavender are highly recommended for the reduction of depression.