Table 1.
Basic features of included studies
| Author/ Year | Country | Number of Participants |
Intervention | Assessment | Efficacy of aromatherapy |
Parity |
| Hur and Park. 2003. (11) | Korea | 48 | Aromatherapy massage | Pain and anxiety (120 minutes after intervention) |
Not significant | Primipara |
| Burns et al. 2007. (12) | Italy | 513 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Anxiety and pain (after intervention) | Significant for both | Primipara/ Multipara |
| Safarzadeh et al. 2008. (13) | Iran | 60 | Aromatherapy massage | Pain (after intervention) | Significant | Primipara |
| Mirzaei F et al. 2009. (14) | Iran | 121 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Anxiety (60 min after the intervention) | Significant:60 minutes after the intervention |
Primipara |
| Alavi et al. 2010. (15) | Iran | 160 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain (30 and 60 minutes after the intervention) |
Significant | Primipara |
| Tafazoli M et al. 2010. (16) | Iran | 102 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Anxiety (immediately and 60 minutes after intervention) |
Significant: 60 min after the intervention |
Primipara |
|
Mohammad khani et al. 2011. (17) |
Iran | 90 | Aromatherapy massage | Pain (30 minutes after the intervention) |
Significant | Primipara |
|
Kyoung and Haeng. 2011. (18) |
Korea | 81 | Aromatherapy massage | Anxiety (latent phase and after the intervention) |
Significant | Primipara/ Multipara |
| Seraji et al. 2011. (19) | Iran | 120 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain (after the intervention at active phase of labor). |
Significant | Multipara |
| Vakilian et al. 2012. (20) | Iran | 120 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain (three times after the intervention). |
Significant | Multipara |
|
Setayeshvalipur et al. 2012. (21) |
Iran | 120 | Inhalation & Footbath aromatherapy |
Pain (30 minutes after intervention) | Significant | Primipara |
|
Kheirkhah M et al. 2012. (22) |
Iran | 120 | Inhalation & Footbath aromatherapy |
Anxiety (after intervention) | Significant | Primipara |
| Ahmadi et al. 2013. (23) | Iran | 70 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain (after the intervention for 1 hour) |
Significant | Primipara |
|
Rashidi Fakari et al. 2013. (24) |
Iran | 130 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain (after intervention at active phase of labor). |
Significant | Primipara |
| Joseph et al. 2013. (25) | India | 130 | Massage aromatherapy | Pain (30 and 120 minutes after intervention) |
Significant | Primipara |
| Ozgoli et al. 2013. (26) | Iran | 128 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain and anxiety (after intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant for both |
Primipara |
| Hamdamian et al. 2014. (27) | Iran | 110 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain and anxiety (after intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant for both |
Primipara |
| Namazi et al. 2014. (28) | Iran | 126 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain and anxiety (after intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant for both |
Primipara |
|
Heidarifard et al. 2014. (29) |
Iran | 130 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain and anxiety (after intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant for both |
Primipara |
| Kaviani et al. 2014. (30) | Iran | 156 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain (30 and 60 minuets after intervention) |
Not significant | Primipara |
| Janula et al. 2015. (31) | India | 600 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain and anxiety (after intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant | Primipara |
|
Heidaryfard et al. 2015. (32) |
Iran | 130 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain (after intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant | Primipara |
|
Rashidi Fakari et al. 2015. (33) |
Iran | 100 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Anxiety (20 min after the intervention) | Significant | Primipara |
|
Fakari and Tabatabaeichehr. 2015. (34) |
Iran | 100 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Anxiety (20 min after the intervention) |
Not significant | Primipara |
|
Rashidi-Fakari et al. 2015. (35) |
Iran | 100 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Anxiety (20 min after the intervention) | Not significant | Primipara |
| Yazdkhasti et al. 2016. (36) | Iran | 120 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain (30 minutes after the intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant | Primipara |
|
Lamadeh and Nomani. 2016. (37) |
Egypt | 600 | Massage aromatherapy | Pain and anxiety (after the intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant for both |
Primipara |
| Vahaby et al. 2016. (38) | Iran | 80 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain (after the intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant | Primipara |
| Roozbahani et al. 2016. (39) | Iran | 111 | Massage aromatherapy | Pain (30 minutes after the intervention) |
Significant | Primipara |
|
Esmaelzadeh et al. 2016. (40) |
Iran | 126 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Anxiety (after the intervention) | Significant | Nullipara |
| Ozgoli et al. 2016. (41) | Iran | 126 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain and anxiety (after the intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant | Primipara |
| Alavi et al. 2017. (42) | Iran | 120 | Inhalation & Footbath aromatherapy |
Pain (after the intervention) | Significant | Primipara |
|
Nehbandani et al. 2018. (43) |
Iran | 160 | Inhalation aromatherapy |
Pain (after the intervention at active phase of labor) |
Significant | Primipara |
VAS: Visual Analog Scale; STAI: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory