The Effects of Spiritual Care with and Without Aromatherapy on the Sleep Quality of Prisoners Referred to the Emergency Department of the Prison Clinic in Iran: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

ABSTRACT

Rest and sleep are health fundamentals and essential phases of human life rhythms. Sleep disturbances can negatively affect an individual's physical and mental balance. Due to the psychological pressure resulting from problems, prisoners experience more sleep disturbances than other people. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of spiritual care with and without aromatherapy on the sleep quality of prisoners in the emergency department of the central prison clinic in Sanandaj County. A single-blind clinical trial was conducted on 90 male prisoners of the emergency department of the central prison clinic in Sanandaj, Kurdistan-Iran, and they were randomly assigned to three groups spiritual care (intervention 1), spiritual care with aromatherapy (intervention 2), and control group. Spiritual care and aromatherapy, along with spiritual care interventions, were performed using lavender essence for one month. Data collection was performed using a demographic checklist and the pittsburgh sleep quality index before and after the interventions. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistical methods in SPSS.26. The mean age of the prisoners was 34.99 ± 7.011 years, 75.6% had a diploma or lower education level, and 46.7% had been imprisoned for more than one year. At baseline, the mean sleep quality score was 9.33 ± 3.55 in intervention group 1, 9.53 ± 4.06 in intervention group 2, and 10.50 ± 3.59 in the control group, with no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.413). After the interventions, the mean sleep quality score was 8.40 ± 2.94 in intervention group 1, 7.86 ± 4.90 in intervention group 2, and 11.23 ± 3.81 in the control group, showing a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.002). According to findings, aromatherapy, along with spiritual care, significantly improved the sleep quality of prisoners (p = 0.003), but spiritual care alone was not effective (p = 0.137). Aromatherapy-based spiritual care improved the sleep quality of prisoners; hence, considering the congruency of spirituality with pleasant scents symbolizing cleanliness and aligning with human nature and religious recommendations, the combination of these two interventions can be used to enhance the sleep quality of prisoners.