Neurofeedback-mindfulness Techniques on Anxiety, Stress, and Academic Performance of Nursing Students

EFFECT OF NEUROFEEDBACK-MINDFULNESS TECHNIQUES ON ANXIETY, STRESS, AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF NURSING STUDENTS

In today's society, anxiety and stress are prevalent emotional responses in mental health globally, significantly affecting students' well-being and academic performance. In particular, undergraduate nursing students face high levels of these problems due to the heavy academic workload and demands of their training, especially during exam periods. The need for concentration, emotional management, and decision-making under pressure contribute to the prevalence of these disorders, impacting both their quality of life and academic performance.

Despite the existence of multiple strategies and techniques for managing these issues, it is still necessary to continue exploring innovative alternatives that complement traditional interventions. For this reason, this project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-neurofeedback as a treatment to reduce stress and anxiety in nursing students, with the goal of providing scientific evidence on this intervention. This brain training technique is presented as a promising option, based on the modulation of brain activity, with the potential to improve emotional regulation and concentration in the educational setting.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Stress; Anxiety; Academic Performance
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: No intervention; Behavioral: NEUROFEEDBACK-MINDFULNESS

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 36
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: José Ignacio Recio Rodriguez, Doctor; Phone Number: +34650330694; Email: donrecio@usal.es

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Salamanca, Spain
    • Recruiting
    • Faculty of Nursing
    • Contact: Jose I Recio-Rodriguez; Phone Number: 650330694

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Students enrolled in the nursing degree at the University of Salamanca
• Aged between 18 and 45 years
• Willing to voluntarily participate in the study and sign the informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of serious psychiatric disorders in the 6 months prior to inclusion in the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: No intervention	Other: No intervention; No intervention
Experimental: NEUROFEEDBACK-MINDFULNESS; Neurofeedback-Assisted Mindfulness Training Program	Behavioral: NEUROFEEDBACK-MINDFULNESS; The Neurofeedback-Assisted Mindfulness Training sessions will be given to the intervention group participants after randomization. Each session will vary in length depending on the session, but will last a maximum of 20 minutes. A total of 20 sessions will be held at the participant's home, preferably in the afternoon, at a rate of 5 sessions per week for 4 weeks after randomization. The organization of the sessions is described in the following table of this study's protocol.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from Baseline in the Mean of the Depression, anxiety and stress scale at 4 weeks	Zero is equivalent to no symptoms and 63 indicates the worst possible symptoms	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Change from Baseline in the Mean Academic performance score at 4 weeks	Zero is equivalent to the best academic performance and 40 indicates the worst academic performance	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Salamanca

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 21, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 28, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 14, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): November 18, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 6, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Anxiety Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: IBYP25/034

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