Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

The Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique Applied to High-Risk Pregnant Women on Anxiety and Postpartum Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of the Emotional Freedom Technique on preoperative anxiety and postpartum depression in high-risk pregnant women who had decided to undergo planned cesarean delivery. Data were collected from women diagnosed with high-risk pregnancy who had made the decision for planned cesarean delivery in the last trimester of pregnancy. In the Emotional Freedom Technique group, the technique was applied during the preoperative period, while the standard care group received only standard care. The study was completed with 30 women in the Emotional Freedom Technique group and 32 women in the standard care group. The "Pregnant Introductory Information Form," the "State-Trait Anxiety Inventory," and the "Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale" were used as data collection tools. Pre-test and post-test applications of the scales were performed, and on the 21st day postpartum, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was administered. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, paired samples t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analyses were used.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: High Risk Pregnancy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Emotional Freedom Tecnic

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 62
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Mersin, Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Mersin University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Participants meeting the following criteria will be included in the study:

Identified as at-risk pregnancies according to the Ministry of Health Risk Assessment Form,

Able to speak and understand Turkish,

Aged between 18 and 45 years,

Have a planned cesarean delivery decision,

Have a gestational age of 36 weeks or more,

Have a State Anxiety Inventory (STAI-State) mean score of 37 or higher,

Voluntarily agree to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria

Participants meeting any of the following criteria will be excluded from the study:

Pregnant women evaluated between March 1, 2024 and September 30, 2024 at Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Perinatology Clinic, who decline voluntary participation,

Pregnant women classified as low-risk according to the Ministry of Health Risk Assessment Form,

Younger than 18 years or older than 45 years,

Those who undergo vaginal delivery,

Pregnant women with a gestational age of 35 weeks or less,

Those with a State Anxiety Inventory (STAI-State) mean score of 36 or lower,

Pregnant women with any psychiatric disorder or diagnosis,

Those unable to speak or understand Turkish,

Participants who withdraw from the study at any stage at their own request.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: emotional freedom technique group; A pregnant woman, who was scheduled for a high-risk cesarean section in the perinatology ward due to a high-risk pregnancy, was initially evaluated using the pregnancy information form and the scores obtained from the SSI. The woman's emotional score was assessed using the SSI scale: The researcher showed her the points to tap before the session. Then, a round of SSI was administered by the researcher and the woman. After the application, the woman was asked to evaluate her emotions on the SSI scale. The session ended if the scale score exceeded +7. For pregnant women who could not reach +7, the SSI round continued by creating new suggestion sentences according to their needs (until it reached +7). The SSI was administered to the woman in the last hour of the preoperative period. Postpartum, the woman was informed that she could perform the SSI she had been taught if she desired, and that if she did, she would inform the researcher of the number of times she had performed it. On the 2	Other: Emotional Freedom Tecnic; Emotional Freedom Technique application to high-risk pregnant women
No Intervention: standard care group; The researcher performing the intervention assigned the individuals to the groups, ensuring a safe randomization process by blinding them to their group. The researcher met with the women upon their admission to the Perinatology Unit, provided information about the study, and obtained their verbal consent. After the hospital preoperative preparations were completed, the researcher opened the envelope and acted according to the group information. Information was provided about the purpose, scope, and duration of the study, and informed consent forms were signed by the volunteer participants (Appendix 6). No other interventions were performed on the women in this group other than the consent forms and assessment tools. In the last hour before the surgery, the researcher again asked the women the questions on the SAC. On the 21st day following her delivery, the women were contacted by phone and asked the EPAD questions, and the study concluded.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
State Anxiety Scale mean score	Mean change in State Anxiety Scorefrom baseline to post-intervention (immediately after treatment), Minimum score: 20, Maximum score: 80, Higher scores indicate higher levels of state (situational) anxiety, Lower scores indicate lower levels of state anxiety.	Before intervention (baseline) and immediately after intervention (post-test)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mersin University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 30, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): October 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 13, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 23, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 23, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 2024/299; Mersin University (Other Identifier: Mersin University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared because of institutional data protection policies and participant privacy concerns.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No