Emotional Freedom Technique to ease nursing students' exam anxiety
Official title: The Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique on State Exam Anxiety Levels of Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Run by Necmettin Erbakan University · NCT07119138 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This randomized trial will try the Emotional Freedom Technique (a brief tapping mind-body method) one hour before the final to see if it lowers state exam anxiety in second-year nursing students.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 35 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 82 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Necmettin Erbakan University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Konya) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | June 30, 2025 |
| Main results expected | July 30, 2025 |
| Study ends | August 30, 2025 |
| Registry record updated | August 12, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07119138 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Second-year nursing students enrolled in the Surgical Nursing course at Necmettin Erbakan University who are scheduled to take the final exam and consent to participate (and are not receiving psychiatric treatment).
✕Probably not a fit
Students who are receiving psychiatric treatment or psychological support, who miss or withdraw from the exam, or who decline participation are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is a randomized controlled trial conducted with second-year students taking a Surgical Nursing course at a state university in Konya. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group that received a short Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) session in the exam hall one hour before the final, or to a control group that had free time. Anxiety was measured with the State Test Anxiety Scale (STAS) and the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUD) immediately around the exam. Standard descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare pretest and posttest anxiety between groups.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the technique could reduce acute test anxiety before exams and help students concentrate and perform better.
How similar studies have gone: Small and mostly nonrandomized studies and some brief randomized trials of EFT and related tapping techniques have reported reductions in anxiety symptoms, but high-quality evidence specific to exam anxiety remains limited.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Volunteers to participate in the study • Qualified to take the final exam of the Surgical Diseases Nursing course Exclusion Criteria: * Refusing to participate in the study * Receiving psychiatric treatment/receiving psychological support * Failing the Surgical Diseases Nursing course application Removal criteria * A student who did not take the course exam due to illness, delay, or similar reasons * Someone who wishes to withdraw from the study during the implementation phase after having agreed to participate.
Where it's running
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Necmettin Erbakan University, Faculty of Theology, Laboratory
Konya, Turkey (Türkiye) Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Mahsum Korkutan, Research Assistant
- Email: mahsum.korkutan@erbakan.edu.tr
- Phone: +905462023210
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.