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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07000552

Emotional Freedom Technique During Pregnancy

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as "Tapping Therapy" and "Needleless Acupuncture", is a new and emerging complementary and energy-based therapy. It is a psychophysiological intervention combining cognitive behavioural therapy, exposure therapy and physical stimulation using acupressure points. This research will be conducted to evaluate the effect of emotional liberation technique applied to primigravidas on fear of childbirth, birth memory and postpartum feelings of safety. The research will be conducted between January 2025 and October 2025 in Konya Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pregnant Outpatient Clinic with primiparous women planning vaginal delivery. This research is planned to be conducted with two groups, EFT intervention and control group. The population of the study consisted of pregnant women who applied to the pregnancy outpatient clinic of a university hospital located in the city centre of Konya province and were evaluated for eligibility.

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Key information

Conditions

Fear of Birth Birth Memory Postpartum Sense of Security

Age range

18 year–49 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

KTO Karatay University

Konya, 42020, Turkey (Türkiye)

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Primary education level or higher
  • Able to speak, understand and write Turkish,
  • 18 years of age or older,
  • Residing in Konya province,
  • No disability for vaginal delivery,
  • Primigravida,
  • Anxiety level of 1 or higher when measured with the subjective discomfort unit scale,
  • Pregnant women who are at 32 weeks of gestation or above according to the last menstrual date or according to calculations made with USG data for pregnant women who do not know the last menstrual date.

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnant individuals with high-risk pregnancies,
  • Those who have undergone infertility treatment,
  • Those with any fetal health problems,
  • Those with physical or mental illnesses,
  • Those with a cesarean section indication or who plan to deliver via cesarean section,
  • Those with chronic and/or psychiatric health issues and those who have participated in any childbirth preparation education were excluded from the study.

Treatment and study plan

EFT intervention

Other

The intervention groups will be followed up for 4 weeks and 4 EFT therapies will be applied, one session per week.

Primary outcomes

  1. EFT Intervention

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Women with a gestational age of 32 and above will be administered the Subjective Experience Unit scale before and after the intervention. The Subjective Experience Unit scale was developed by Hartmann with the "Events Psychology" approach in order to measure the energy flow in the energy body. This scale is used to determine the emotional intensity of the person at the beginning and at the end of the EFT session. In this scale, scoring is made between -10 and +10. -10 is the greatest pain, disappointment, fear, stress, sadness or discomfort imaginable, while +10 is the highest level of joy, happiness or feeling great.

    The final tests will be administered in the postnatal period. In the postnatal period, Wijma Birth Anticipation/Experience Scale, Birth Memory and Recall Scale, Postnatal Feelings of Security Scale and Postnatal Interview Form were completed.

  2. Control grup

    Time frame: 4 week

    Pregnant women in the control group will be called once a week and asked to score the SUE scale and recorded, and 1 hour later, they will be asked to score the SUE scale again without any intervention. Final tests will be administered in the postnatal period.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

KTO Karatay University

Other

Collaborators

  • EMEL EGE

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique Applied to Primigravidas on Fear of Childbirth, Memory of Childbirth and Postpartum Security Sense: A Randomised Controlled Study

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jun 3, 2025
Registry last updated
Dec 17, 2025

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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