The Effect of Aromatherapy Inhalation of Rosa Damascena and Lavender on Athletes' Competitive Anxiety

The stressful nature of competitive sports can increase emotional tension and anxiety among athletes during competitions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of inhalation aromatherapy of rosa damascena and lavender on competitive anxiety of female roll ball players of Zahedan. The present research was semi-experimental type and carried out by pre-test and post-test methods. The statistical population included 24 female roll ball players of Zahedan in 2017. Statistical samples were selected by accessible methods and randomly divided into two equal experimental groups of lavender and rosa damascena. A demographic questionnaire was used to collect information and the Spielberger questionnaire was used to measure state anxiety and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha. For data analysis, paired and independent t-tests, one-way analysis of covariance and Komulogrov-Smirnov test were used. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the level of anxiety before and after the intervention in the rosa damascena group (P ≤0/001). In addition, there was a significant difference between the level of anxiety before and after the intervention in the lavender group (P ≤0/001). Moreover, the difference between the mean anxiety scores in the rosa damascena and lavender groups were 12.24 and 11.57, respectively, and it was found that lavender had a slightly greater effect on the anxiety of roll ball players than rosa damascena. It is recommended that coaches increase the level of athletic performance of athletes by reducing anxiety and offering strategies such as relaxation through aromatherapy before sports competitions.