Reducing Examination Anxiety Through Emotional Freedom Techniques: A Randomized Controlled Trial Among Somali Students

November 20, 2025 updated by: Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi
This study aims to determine the effects of the Emotional Freedom Technique applied before exams on coping with stress and anxiety.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This experimental randomized controlled trial assigned participants to two groups: the EFT Group (n=31) and the Breathing Group (n=31). Each group received two intervention sessions, held one week apart, prior to the midterm exams. Final assessments were conducted one week after the exams. Data collection tools included the Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety to measure anxiety levels, and the Coping Styles with Stress Scale.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

62

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Turkish proficiency, willingness to participate in the study voluntarily

Exclusion Criteria:

  • The student has coordination and language problems, any diagnosed psychiatric disorder or epilepsy

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: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: EFT Group
Participants in the intervention group received two 45-55 minute EFT sessions one week before the exam.
Other: Emotional Freedom Technique
The EFT group received two 45-55 minute EFT sessions one week before the exams.
Experimental: Breath Group
Participants in the comparison group received two sessions of 15-20 minutes of breathing exercises one week before the exam.
Other: Breath Group
The breathing group received two sessions of 15-20 breathing exercises a week before the exams.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Anxiety
Time Frame: 10 minütes
Anxiety levels were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale. Students were asked to indicate their anxiety levels on a 10-cm-long horizontal line. The line begins with a 0 and ends with a 10. A 10 indicates extreme anxiety, while a 0 indicates no anxiety. The VAS scale is frequently used to assess anxiety severity.
10 minütes
Stress Coping Styles
Time Frame: 10 minütes
The Styles of Coping Scale (SCSS) was used to measure stress coping styles. The scale is a 4-point Likert-type scale, with participants selecting the appropriate option from "not at all appropriate" to "very appropriate." The scale consists of 30 questions and 5 subscales. These subscales are: self-confident approach, optimistic approach, helpless approach, submissive approach, and seeking social support factor. Higher scores on each subscale indicate that the approach in that subscale is used more frequently to cope with stress.
10 minütes

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

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 (Actual)

September 21, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 22, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

November 15, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 20, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 20, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

December 2, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 2, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 20, 2025

Last Verified

October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MSTH/9570

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.

Clinical Trials on Anxiety

Clinical Trials on Emotional Freedom Technique

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Ireland

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe