The Impact of Coffee Aroma Experience Value on High School Girls' Stress Relief and Psychological Well-Being

This study investigates the impact of coffee aroma experience value on stress relief and psychological well-being of high school female students. The research procedure was to collect data on coffee aroma, draft a questionnaire, and supplement the questionnaire through expert evaluation and review. Among the subjects, high school girl students who were able to fill out the questionnaire face-to-face were asked to fill it out in person, while other high school girl students were asked to complete the survey through a Google Form non-face-to-face survey. The subjects of the study are first to third year high school girl students living in Seoul. The survey period is 60 days from September 1 to November 1, 2024, and a total of 250 people participated. Among them, 165 high school girl students who experienced the aroma of coffee were surveyed through self-administration after explaining the purpose of the study and data were collected after the researcher explained the purpose of the study through a structured questionnaire. The results of the study on the impact of the experience value through coffee aroma on stress relief and psychological well-being of high school girls are examined by research question as follows. First, the enjoyment, symbolism, and usefulness of each subfactor of coffee aroma experience value were found to have a statistically significant positive (+) effect on relieving psychological and academic stress by each subfactor of stress relief. Second, the enjoyment of each subfactor of coffee aroma experience value was found to have a statistically significant positive (+) effect on psychological well-being. Third, psychological and academic stress relief for each sub-factor of stress relief was found to have a statistically significant positive (+) effect on psychological well-being. Fourth, stress relief was found to mediate the effect of the sub-factors of coffee aroma experience value, such as enjoyment, symbolism, and usefulness, on psychological well-being. The enjoyment, symbolism, and usefulness of each sub-factor of the experience value through coffee aroma were found to affect psychological well-being through the mediating effect of aroma in high school girl students. High school girls spend most of their daily lives in academic and competitive environments such as schools and academies, which causes stress, and the psychological and physical state of tension leads to chronic and acute stress. The effect of coffee aroma is effective in alleviating stress, depression, and psychological relaxation in high school girls, and can be used not only for olfactory enjoyment but also as a therapeutic method. In conclusion, this study identified the impact of the experiential value of coffee aroma on psychological well-being by relieving high school girls' stress, and found that stress relief and psychological stability of high school girls can serve as a mechanism to manage stress during adolescence, a time of extreme stress. It was meaningful in that it was possible to confirm that it existed.