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NCT Number: NCT01420848

Auriculotherapy Effectiveness on Stress and Anxiety in Nursing Student

Single-blind randomized controlled trial aimed to assess stress and anxiety levels in Nursing School students of Beneficence Portuguese Hospital and review the effectiveness of true and placebo auriculotherapy.

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Key information

Conditions

Stress Anxiety Anxiety Disorders Mental Disorders Stress Disorders, Traumatic Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders

Age range

19 year–55 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Real e Benemérita Associação Portuguesa de Beneficência

São Paulo, 01323-001, Brazil

About this study

Although researches on stress have a strong focus on stress at work,it is very important the evaluation of the stress and its consequences in Nursing students. This allows to understand which stress factors experienced in a negative way could interfere on the adaptive success in school activities. Students can experience symptoms of the alarm phase of stress such as tachycardia, muscle tension, skin and cold extremities, and also the second phase of stress such as headache, sleepiness, irritability and difficulty concentrating. High levels of stress have a substantial effect on attention and can lead to errors, lack of concentration and fluctuations in the level of attention. The auriculotherapy may have an important role as a coping strategy for stress and anxiety. It is a fast, relatively simple, easily performed, safe and without major side effects.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Average and high score by the List of Stress Symptoms
  • Voluntary participation in the study
  • Availability of time for submission to the sessions

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnancy
  • Medical license or vacation during the period
  • Low score of stress

Treatment and study plan

Auriculotherapy

Other

Auriculotherapy stimulates points to achieve better emotional balance, mental and physiological.

Other names: Auricular acupuncture

Placebo Group

Other

They were evaluated at the baseline,twelve sessions and 15-day follow-up and received 12 sessions through the Fist and Outer ear points.

Other names: Sham Group

Primary outcomes

  1. Students Stress Levels

    Time frame: 90 days

    The List of Symptoms of Stress is an evaluation questionnaire which consists of a list of 59 psycho-physiological and psychosocial stress, in which the subject must associate to each symptom of the four answers: never (0), rarely (1 ), often (2) or always (3). The scores are added together and the answers provide the level of stress the individual.In this questionnaire to score from 0 to 11 is void, 12 to 29 (low level), 30 to 59 (medium level), 60 to 120 (high level) and 120 to 177, very high level. Participants below 29 points were excluded.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Students Anxiety Levels

    Time frame: 90 days

    The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory consists of 2 scales, each one containing 20 items. One of the scales evaluates state anxiety, characterized by subjective feelings of tension and apprehension, followed by autonomic nervous system responses at a given moment. Trait anxiety, assessed by the other scale, refers to a relatively stable tendency to perceive situations at threatening and react anxiously to them. The scores are divided into low, moderate, high and very high and are determined by the sum of 20 symptoms from a 5-point Likert-type scale.The range of scores is 20-80, the higher the score indicating greater anxiety for both the Trait and State Anxiety.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Sao Paulo

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effectiveness of the Auriculotherapy on Reducing Stress and Anxiety in Nursing Student: Randomized Clinical Trial

Important dates

Study start
2011
Primary completion
2011
Study completion
2011
First posted
Aug 22, 2011
Registry last updated
Jul 15, 2013

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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