The Tapping Evidence Base
Other Physical Conditions

Emotional Freedom Technique for Reducing Primary Dysmenorrhea Intensity among Female Students

Desoky, M., Abdo Hussien, A., Ibrahim, A., Metwally, H.M. · Assiut Scientific Nursing Journal · 2023

Controlled trial👥 161 participantsPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 Egypt
In plain English. One hundred sixty-one female nursing students with painful periods (dysmenorrhea) tried EFT and reported a modest but measurable reduction in pain intensity afterward. There was no control group, so it's unclear how much of the change reflects natural fluctuation in menstrual pain versus EFT itself, and the size of the improvement (about 15%) is relatively modest.

What they found

161
people took part

The mean visual analog scale score for menstrual pain was reduced from 9.2 to 7.8 after the intervention, a 15.2 percent improvement.

How the study worked

Who took partfemale nursing students from Faqous High Institute of Nursing, Zagazig University, El Sharkia Governorate, Egypt (n=161)
What they didIn a controlled trial, a tapping group was compared against a separate comparison group.
Measured withvisual analog scale for pain

💡 Where this could help

If findings like these hold up in larger trials, the promise is simple: a low-cost, self-administered tool that could reach people struggling with other physical conditions who can't easily access traditional care — at home, between appointments, or where there aren't enough clinicians to go around.

🔬 What to study next

The natural next step: a head-to-head trial against an established treatment like CBT.

The full record

DesignControlled trial
Participants161 people
Populationfemale nursing students from Faqous High Institute of Nursing, Zagazig University, El Sharkia Governorate, Egypt
Outcome measuresvisual analog scale for pain
JournalAssiut Scientific Nursing Journal
Year2023
CountryEgypt
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Desoky, M., Abdo Hussien, A., Ibrahim, A., & Metwally, H.M. (2023). Emotional Freedom Technique for Reducing Primary Dysmenorrhea Intensity among Female Students. Assiut Scientific Nursing Journal. https://doi.org/10.21608/asnj.2023.203538.1558

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 Other Physical Conditions

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Other Physical Conditions 161 participants WHAT THEY FOUND The mean visual analog scale score formenstrual pain was reduced from 9.2 to 7.8after the intervention, a 15.2… Controlled trial · 161 participants Desoky · 2023 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com