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

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

92

Phase

  • 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

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
Intervention / Treatment
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

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

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)

June 19, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 19, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 19, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 12, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 17, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 17, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID 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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