Effect of Echium Amoenum on the Anxiety of College Students

Abstract

Objective: Humans always have faced with the phenomenon of anxiety and have tried to find solutions to overcome this problem by various methods. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of echium amoenum on the anxiety of college students. Methods: This is a clinical trial study. Participants were 40 nursing students in Kerman, Iran who were randomly assigned into two groups of intervention (n=20) and control (n=20). The data collection tools were a demographic form and Cattle’s anxiety questionnaire. First, the baseline assessment was conducted in both groups. Then, the intervention group received 1 g echium amoenum powder in 250cc boiling water daily. After a month, both groups were assessed again. Data analysis was performed in SPSS v.20 software using descriptive and inferential statistics (mean, standard deviation, chi-square test, paired t-test, independent t-test, Mann-Witney U test). Results: At baseline, there was no significant difference between the two groups. After consumption of echium amoenum, the overall anxiety score decreased from 40.4±6.31 to 38.65±3.39 in the intervention group and increased from 39.7±9.29 to 41.75±9.91 in the control group; however, these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Echium amoenum could reduce anxiety in the students, but its effect was not significant maybe due to the short duration of its use or small sample size. Hence, further studies with a larger sample size are recommended.