Emotional Freedom Techniques in Nursing Students With Primary Dysmenorrhea

June 17, 2026 updated by: Nisa Nur Demirtaş, Ataturk University

Effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on Pain Intensity, Pain Catastrophizing, and Functional-Emotional Impact in Nursing Students With Primary Dysmenorrhea

This study will examine whether Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can reduce pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, and functional-emotional impact in nursing students with primary dysmenorrhea. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group will receive EFT-based support, and the control group will continue their usual coping practices. Study outcomes will be measured before the intervention, after the intervention, and at follow-up. This study may provide evidence for a safe, non-pharmacological approach to support students with primary dysmenorrhea.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
92

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being enrolled in a nursing program,
  • Being 18 years of age or older
  • Having had a regular menstrual cycle within the last six months
  • Experiencing primary dysmenorrhea during the last three menstrual cycles
  • Reporting moderate to severe pain according to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS: 4-10)
  • Voluntary participation in the study
  • Providing written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having a diagnosed gynecological disease that may cause secondary dysmenorrhea (endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, etc.)
  • Having chronic pain syndrome
  • Receiving regular treatment or taking psychiatric medication due to a psychiatric diagnosis
  • Applying another pharmacological or non-pharmacological intervention that may affect pain perception during the research process,
  • Taking the course Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health Nursing • Receiving/having received emotional freedom technique training,
  • Having previously received training in this technique or regularly using it
  • Having a cognitive or sensory problem that prevents communication or completing data collection forms
  • Not completing the application protocol
  • Incomplete completion of data collection forms
  • Wishing to withdraw from the research

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experimental Group
Participants in the experimental group will receive a structured Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)-based nursing intervention. The intervention will include an individual preparation and education session 5-7 days before the expected menstruation, followed by a guided EFT session on the first day of menstrual pain. Participants will also be encouraged to perform self-application 1-2 times on the same day.
Behavioral: EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUES (EFT)
The intervention consists of a structured Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)-based nursing intervention designed for nursing students with primary dysmenorrhea. It includes an individual preparation and education session conducted 5-7 days before the expected menstruation, during which pain-related thoughts, emotions, and bodily awareness are identified and individualized setup statements are developed. A guided EFT session is then conducted on the first day of menstrual pain. During this session, participants focus on dysmenorrhea-related distress while repeating the individualized setup statements and following the structured EFT sequence under researcher guidance. Pain intensity and subjective distress are assessed before and after the guided session. Participants are also advised to repeat the EFT self-application 1-2 times on the same day.
No Intervention: Control Grup
Participants in the control group will not receive the EFT-based nursing intervention during the study period and will continue their usual coping methods for menstrual pain without any additional structured support.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the intervention cycle), and follow-up (T2; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the next menstrual cycle)
Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Participants will rate the most severe menstrual pain experienced during the relevant menstrual cycle on a 0-10 scale, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain.
Baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the intervention cycle), and follow-up (T2; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the next menstrual cycle)
Pain Catastrophizing
Time Frame: Baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the intervention cycle), and follow-up (T2; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the next menstrual cycle)
Pain catastrophizing will be assessed using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). Total scores range from 0 to 52. Higher scores indicate greater pain catastrophizing and therefore a worse outcome.
Baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the intervention cycle), and follow-up (T2; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the next menstrual cycle)
Functional-Emotional Impact
Time Frame: Baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the intervention cycle), and follow-up (T2; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the next menstrual cycle)
Functional-emotional impact will be assessed using the Functional and Emotional Dysmenorrhea Scale (FEDS). Total scores range from 14 to 70. Higher scores indicate greater functional and emotional impact of dysmenorrhea and therefore a worse outcome.
Baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the intervention cycle), and follow-up (T2; 2-3 days after the end of menstrual bleeding in the next menstrual cycle)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Ataturk University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 19, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 19, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 19, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 12, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 17, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 17, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • B.30.2.ATA.0.01.00/252

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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