Language or Region
Citation: Pinar Irmak Vural, Gulsah Korpe, Demet Inangil (2019) Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to reduce exam anxiety in Turkish nursing students. European Journal of Integrative Medicine.
Highlights
Turkish study using EFT with Nursing students on Women’s’ Health and Diseases Nursing course, prior to exams, with a view to managing exam anxiety. 80 students took part in 3 sessions each of six 2 minute parts. The study showed “significant reduction in exam anxiety”, as well as background anxiety. There is little detail available for the methods used here, as full paper was not available for review. However, a range of assessment methods were used to baseline/compare anxiety levels in the study (see below).
EFTi Editor’s Notes
Assessment tools used were: unspecified analysis of the socio-demographics of participants, the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI Tx-1, Tx-2), and the Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale. There does not appear to have been a control group.
Limitations
It is uncertain from the study extract whether the students who were using pre-existing coping strategies continued to use these whilst also receiving EFT. The editor could not access any of the data generated in the study. The nature of 6 x 2mins parts is not clear and uncertain what the exact protocol was for the EFT interventions and where it came from. There is no explicit description of the type of study this is, based on the small extract (see link).
Abstract
Introduction
Nursing education involves among other things tracking the learning process. Many students experience anxiety prior to exams, and they try to cope with it. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) on the reduction of exam anxiety in nursing students in the Women's Health and Diseases Nursing course in Turkey.
Methods
In this outcomes study, 80 s-year nursing students participated in three EFT sessions, each consisting of six two-minute parts. The study took an average of 46 min. Pre- and post-treatment measurements included: the socio-demographics of participants, the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI Tx-1, Tx-2), and the Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale. The SUD scale was used before and after sessions. Prior to and following the three sessions, the BAI and the STAI Tx 1 and 2 were administered.
Results
EFT significantly reduced exam anxiety. Almost half of the students were using some method of coping with anxiety and the most common methods were listening to music and breathing exercises. However, the initial anxiety level was quite high. State and trait anxiety levels, as well as exam anxiety, decreased, statistically significant, after the EFT sessions. At the end of three sessions of EFT, more than half success was determined in the subjective exam anxiety level.
Conclusions
This study showed that three EFT sessions administered in a group setting, reduced and helped them better cope with exam anxiety as well as other anxiety indicators in nursing students.
Abbreviations
EFT emotional freedom techniques
BAI Beck Anxiety Inventory
STAI State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
SUD Subjective Units of Distress
PTSD Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
EEG Electroencephalography
The study was published in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine: Volume 32, December 2019, 101002
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