The Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique on Parents' Anxiety Level: Newborn Hearing Screening

April 10, 2026 updated by: Sümeyra ALAN, Abant Izzet Baysal University

Emotional Freedom Technique for Parental Anxiety Regarding Newborn Hearing Screening

Newborn hearing screening (NHS) is a standard procedure that often triggers acute anxiety in parents. While Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) has demonstrated efficacy in reducing psychological distress across various clinical settings, its specific application to parental anxiety during the neonatal screening period remains under-researched. This study addresses this gap by investigating the impact of a targeted EFT intervention on anxiety levels in mothers awaiting their newborns' first hearing tests.

The primary objective is to determine if a brief, 15-minute EFT session reduces maternal anxiety more effectively than a standard waiting period. Participants are randomly assigned to either an intervention group, where they perform a structured acupoint tapping sequence, or a control group that receives no active intervention. Anxiety is assessed using validated scales immediately before and after the 15-minute period to capture acute changes in distress. The researchers hypothesize that applying EFT regarding the procedure will significantly reduce parental anxiety levels compared to the non-intervention group.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Study Design and Randomization: This prospective, controlled experimental study utilizes a pretest-posttest design to evaluate the effects of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) on parental anxiety. A total of 70 eligible parents will be recruited from the Newborn Hearing Screening (NHS) Units of two public hospitals. Participants will be assigned to either the EFT intervention group (n=35) or a non-intervention control group (n=35) using stratified block randomization with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Stratification is performed based on baseline state anxiety levels to ensure balanced distribution between the study arms.

Procedural Standardization and Participant Management: To maintain internal validity and ensure the stability of pre-procedural anxiety measurements, specific situational controls are implemented. Participants are excluded if acute situational triggers-such as neonatal crying or breastfeeding-occur immediately before or during the intervention period. To minimize external distractions and allow the participant to focus entirely on the protocol, relatives provide care for the neonates during the 30-35 minute study duration.

Intervention Protocols

  • EFT Group: Participants receive a 15-minute guided session led by a certified practitioner. The session begins with the "Karate Chop" point setup, where the participant repeats a specific acceptance sentence three times. This is followed by sequential tapping (approximately seven times per point) on twelve designated acupoints: the beginning of the eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, the chin, collarbone, under the armpit, thumb, index finger, middle finger, little finger, and the Karate Chop point. Multiple tapping rounds are completed within the 15-minute timeframe.
  • Control Group: Participants undergo identical pre-test assessments but remain in a designated waiting area for 15 minutes without any active intervention, guidance, or therapeutic contact.

Data Collection and Measurement: Baseline assessments (Pre-tests) include a Parental Information Form, the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Post-test assessments (SUDS and STAI) are administered to both groups immediately following the 15-minute intervention or waiting period. The STAI evaluates both situational (state) and general (trait) anxiety on a scale ranging from 20 to 80, while the SUDS provides a subjective distress rating from 0 to 10.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

70

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 Contact

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Bolu, Turkey (Türkiye), 14030
        • Recruiting
        • Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Izzet Baysal Training and Research Hospital, Newborn Hearing Screening Center
        • Contact:
      • Bolu, Turkey (Türkiye), 14030
        • Recruiting
        • Bolu Izzet Baysal State Hospital, Newborn Hearing Screening Center
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Parents of neonates who are undergoing the newborn hearing screening (NHS) for the first time.
  • Ability to communicate effectively in the native language without language barriers.
  • No prior experience or training in applying the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
  • Voluntary agreement to participate in the study and completion of the informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known history of diagnosed psychiatric disorders or epilepsy.
  • Situations where the neonate is crying or being breastfed immediately prior to the intervention or during the assessment.
  • The scheduled hearing screening procedure is initiated before the 30-35-minute study protocol is completed.
  • Occurrence of any acute situational triggers or environmental distractions that may interfere with the stability of anxiety measurements.

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: Emotional Freedom Technique Group
15-minute guided acupoint tapping session
Behavioral: Emotional Freedom Technique
15-minute guided acupoint tapping session
Other: Control Group
15-minute waiting period without active guidance
Other: No intervention
15-minute waiting period without active guidance

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
State Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) Score
Time Frame: Baseline (Pre-test) and 15 minutes after the baseline (Post-test)
The STAI-S measures the current state of anxiety. Scores range from 20 to 80, where higher scores indicate greater levels of anxiety.
Baseline (Pre-test) and 15 minutes after the baseline (Post-test)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS)
Time Frame: Baseline (Pre-test) and 15 minutes after the baseline (Post-test).
A self-assessment scale for distress/anxiety. Scores range from 0 (no distress) to 10 (extreme distress).
Baseline (Pre-test) and 15 minutes after the baseline (Post-test).
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - Trait (STAI-T) Score
Time Frame: Baseline (Pre-test) and 15 minutes after the baseline (Post-test).
The STAI-T is a self-report scale used to measure an individual's general tendency to experience anxiety. The scale consists of 20 items, with scores ranging from 20 to 80. Higher scores reflect a higher level of trait anxiety.
Baseline (Pre-test) and 15 minutes after the baseline (Post-test).

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Abant Izzet Baysal University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sümeyra Alan, PhD, Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

March 31, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 14, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 12, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 10, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AIBU-SBF-SA-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this study, after de-identification (text, tables, figures, and appendices), will be shared with researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal. The primary objective is to allow for secondary analyses that align with the original research goals. All data sharing will be conducted in strict accordance with the participant confidentiality protections outlined in the Informed Consent Form. A formal Data Use Agreement (DUA) must be signed before any data transfer occurs.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will be made available beginning 6 months after the publication of the primary results and will remain accessible for a period of 3 years.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data access requests should be submitted via email to [sumeyraalan@ibu.edu.tr]. Proposals will be reviewed for scientific merit. Requestors must demonstrate that they have obtained necessary institutional ethical approvals and must agree to use the data only for the purposes specified in their approved proposal.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

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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