Descriptive title: this study was catalogued from a peer-reviewed meta-analysis table, and the original paper's exact title has not yet been independently confirmed.
Jain, S., Rubino, A. · 2012
One EFT session (n=11) vs waitlist (n=23, d=0.45, p=0.275) and diaphragmatic breathing (n=6, d=−0.73, 95% CI −2.42–0.96, p=0.396); neither comparison statistically significant.
This small study is a useful reminder to stay humble about what a single tapping session can reliably do for a general population of college students under everyday stress — it didn't clearly beat waiting or breathing exercises here. Even accounting for the appeal of a tool students could use entirely on their own with no counselor involved, if larger, better-powered trials in student populations find a real effect, campus counseling centers could someday offer tapping alongside other quick stress-relief tools, but this study alone can't yet support that.
Neither comparison here reached significance, so the honest next step is a properly powered trial with a larger sample before drawing conclusions either way. If a larger trial is run, pairing anxiety scores with objective stress markers — cortisol, heart-rate variability — and testing more than a single session would help clarify whether a real effect exists that this small study was simply too underpowered to detect.
| Design | Randomized trial |
|---|---|
| Participants | 40 people |
| Population | college students |
| Comparison group | waitlist and diaphragmatic breathing |
| Effect size | Cohen's d (EFT vs waitlist) = 0.45 (95% CI −0.36–1.26) — on anxiety, EFT vs waitlist; between-group d=0.45 (95% CI -0.36 to 1.26, p=.275, NON-significant) per Clond (2016). |
| Outcome measures | anxiety scale (not specified in table) |
| Journal | Original publication venue not confirmed (indexed via Clond 2016 Table 1/2) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Method | EFT / Tapping |
| Publication type | Study / trial |
| Verification | Transcribed from a peer-reviewed source; pending independent confirmation |
Jain, S., & Rubino, A. (2012). College student trial of EFT vs waitlist and diaphragmatic breathing (as tabulated in Clond 2016).
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 Anxiety · Test Anxiety & Students
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