The Tapping Evidence Base
Stress & Cortisol · Anxiety

Emotional freedom technique for reducing stress and anxiety among primary caregivers of patients with mental illness in Bangalore

Bera, S., Mukkiri, S. · East Asian Archives of Psychiatry · 2025

Outcome study 👥 31 participants Preliminary ✓ Source-checked 📍 India
In plain English. Family members caring for a loved one with serious mental illness learned tapping from a nurse and practised on their own for two weeks - and their stress and anxiety dropped measurably, with no one left in the high-stress range.

What they found

31
Family members caring for a loved one with serious mental illness learned tapping from a nurse and practised on their own for two weeks - and their stress and…

A 15-day nurse-taught, self-practised EFT programme significantly reduced perceived stress (PSS 17.68 to 13.77, p < 0.001) and anxiety (HAM-A 14.84 to 12.10, p < 0.001) in 31 caregivers of psychiatric patients; high-stress caregivers dropped from 9.7% to 0%.

How the study worked

Who took part Primary caregivers (16 men, 15 women; aged 24-60) of patients with chronic psychiatric illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder) at CDSIMER Hospital, Bangalore, India; convenience sample (n=31)
What they did Participants received tapping and were measured before and after, without a separate comparison group.
Measured with Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)

⭐ Why this study matters

Caregiver stress is an active TTS campaign lane; a hospital-based caregiver study with a self-practice protocol mirrors how the app is actually used.

💡 Where this could help

Caregiver-stress page - directly relevant to the caregiver campaign lane; India-based study broadens geography.

🔬 What to study next

The natural next step: a head-to-head trial against an established treatment like CBT, and a larger sample to confirm the effect.

The full record

DesignOutcome study
Participants31 people
PopulationPrimary caregivers (16 men, 15 women; aged 24-60) of patients with chronic psychiatric illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder) at CDSIMER Hospital, Bangalore, India; convenience sample
Outcome measuresPerceived Stress Scale (PSS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)
JournalEast Asian Archives of Psychiatry
Year2025
CountryIndia
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / Tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Bera, S., & Mukkiri, S. (2025). Emotional freedom technique for reducing stress and anxiety among primary caregivers of patients with mental illness in Bangalore. East Asian Archives of Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.12809/eaap2537

This record is part of the Tapping Evidence Base — an openly-sourced, fully-referenced directory of the research on EFT/Tapping. Explore more studies on Stress & Cortisol · Anxiety

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Stress & Cortisol 31 participants WHAT THEY FOUND A 15-day nurse-taught, self-practised EFTprogramme significantly reduced perceivedstress (PSS 17.68 to 13.77, p <… Outcome study · 31 participants Bera · 2025 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com