The Tapping Evidence Base
Test Anxiety & Students · Burnout & Work Stress

Effects of Emotion Freedom Techniques on Academic Stress in Korean Medical Students: A Single-Group Pre-Post Study

Lee, S. H., Han, S. Y., Lee, S. J., Chae, H., Lim, J. H. · Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry · 2022

Outcome study👥 36 participantsPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 South Korea
In plain English. Thirty-six first-year Korean medical students did a six-session after-school EFT program to manage the notorious stress of medical training. Test anxiety, negative mood, and trait anxiety all eased significantly, with some gains still visible two weeks later. There was no comparison group, so it can't rule out that some improvement came simply from time passing.

What they found

36
people took part

Significant reductions occurred at post-EFT and two-week follow-up on test anxiety, negative perspective stress, and negative affect subscales; trait anxiety was significantly reduced post-EFT and state anxiety at follow-up.

How the study worked

Who took partfirst-year Korean medical school students (n=36)
What they didParticipants received tapping and were measured before and after, without a separate comparison group.
Measured withPerceived Stress Scale (PSS), Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)

💡 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 test anxiety & students 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, and a larger sample to confirm the effect.

The full record

DesignOutcome study
Participants36 people
Populationfirst-year Korean medical school students
Outcome measuresPerceived Stress Scale (PSS), Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)
JournalJournal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
Year2022
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Lee, S. H., Han, S. Y., Lee, S. J., Chae, H., & Lim, J. H. (2022). Effects of Emotion Freedom Techniques on Academic Stress in Korean Medical Students: A Single-Group Pre-Post Study. Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry. https://doi.org/10.7231/JON.2022.33.1.033

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 Test Anxiety & Students · Burnout & Work Stress

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Test Anxiety & Students 36 participants WHAT THEY FOUND Significant reductions occurred at post-EFTand two-week follow-up on test anxiety,negative perspective stress, and… Outcome study · 36 participants Lee · 2022 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com