Emotional Freedom Techniques in Nursing Students With Primary Dysmenorrhea

N/ANot Yet RecruitingNCT07658859

Ataturk University92 enrolled

Overview

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 Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA

Interventions

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.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

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

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Pain Intensity

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.

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

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.

Functional-Emotional Impact

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.