Comparison of the Efficacy of Massage and Aromatherapy Massage with Geranium on Depression in Postmenopausal Women: A Clinical Trial

Background: Depression exacerbates the physical problems in menopause in addition to influencing the individual, occupational and social functioning of women. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the effect of aromatherapy massage on depression in menopausal women. Patients and Methods: In this clinical trial, 120 menopausal women were selected based on the inclusion criteria and were randomly divided into three groups namely control, aromatherapy massage and massage group. Data collection tool in this study was demographics questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In aromatherapy massage group, essential oil of geranium (2%) in almond oil was used. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks, once a week for 30 minutes and their depression rate was assessed before and after the intervention and were compared with the control group. ANOVA and t-test were used for data analysis. Results: Aromatherapy massage reduced the mean depression score (MD: 0.51, 95%CI). Massage therapy also reduced depression score (MD: 0.20, 95%CI) (P < 0.001). To detect the effects of aromatherapy and massage therapy separately, the mean depression score was compared and aromatherapy massage reduced the depression score more than massage therapy (MD: -0.31, 95%CI). Conclusions: The results of this study consider aromatherapy massage beneficial in improving symptoms of depression and recommend it as a complementary therapy.