Auricular Stimulation vs. Expressive Writing for Exam Anxiety (NCT03093584) | Clinical Trial Compass
CompletedNot Applicable
Auricular Stimulation vs. Expressive Writing for Exam Anxiety
37 participantsStarted 2014-04
Plain-language summary
Title of the study: Auricular acupuncture (AA) vs. expressive writing for pre-exam anxiety - a randomised crossover study
Study period: 04 / 2014 - 07 / 2014
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. T. Usichenko Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine University Medicine of Greifswald
Aim of the study: To investigate the anxiolytic effect of AA vs. expressive writing and vs. no intervention in students, passing the oral exams in anatomy at the University of Greifswald
Design: Prospective randomised crossover trial
Interventions: 1. AA using indwelling fixed needles, retained 24 h in situ 2. Expressive writing
Number of volunteers: N = 40
Healthy medical students at the University of Greifswald Participants of the anatomy exams in spring/summer 2014 Without previous anxiolytic, sedative and analgesic medication No pregnancy or lactating Informed consent
Outcome measures: Anxiety level Heart rate, blood pressure Salivary α-amylase
Who can participate
Age range19 Years – 35 Years
SexALL
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Inclusion criteria
✓. Medical students at the University of Greifswald
✓. Going to take part in oral exams of human anatomy
✓. Participants without previous anxiolytic medication
✓. Ability to express the thoughts and emotions ("expressive writing")
✓. Written informed consent
Exclusion criteria
✕. Recidivist alcoholics
✕. Local auricular skin infection
✕. Pregnant or lactating women
✕. Participants with prosthetic or damaged cardiac valves, intracardiac and intravascular shunts, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and mitral valve prolaps (risk of bacterial endocarditis according to guidelines of AHA)
✕. Participants who are unable to understand the consent form