Effectiveness of tapping therapy for the treatment of anxiety among university students

Background: Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses, with a prevalence of 10–44% in developing nations and is the fourth leading cause of morbidity. Studies have shown that rates of anxiety are 29–66% higher in females compared with their male counterparts. An important step in addressing anxiety is the use of effective therapeutic techniques. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as tapping, is a novel psychological treatment based on tapping therapy that has been utilized to treat a variety of conditions, including anxiety. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Technique as a tapping therapy for the treatment of anxiety among female university students.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used. The study was conducted at the International Islamic University from October to December 2018. Using convenience sampling, a sample of 70 female university students (n = 70) with an age range of 18–25 years was selected. Following a one-group pretest–posttest design, the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory was administered before and after the implementation of Emotional Freedom Technique to assess state anxiety and trait anxiety. For data analysis, a paired-sample t-test was used in SPSS version 23.

Results: The paired-sample t-test indicated significant differences between pretest and posttest scores for both state and trait anxiety levels among female university students (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Emotional Freedom Technique, when used as a tapping therapy, may reduce state and trait anxiety among university students.