Year: 2026 | Month: January-March | Volume: 11 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 112-123
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/gijhsr.20260114
Effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on Psychological Distress and Somatic Symptoms among Students with Primary Dysmenorrhea
Seena Joseph R1, Neena Davis2
1PG Nursing Student, Department of Mental Health Nursing, Lourdes College of Nursing Ernakulam, Kerala University of Health Sciences, Thrissur, India.
2Associate Professor and Head Mental Health Nursing, Lourdes College of Nursing, Ernakulam, Kerala University of Health Sciences, Thrissur, India.
Corresponding Author: Seena Joseph R
ABSTRACT
Introduction: God has given menstruation as a special gift for every woman as a process of reproduction. India consider menstruation as a natural method for the preparation of motherhood and a blessing of God towards womanhood. Menstruation and related body changes can negatively affect all aspects of health, such as physical, mental and social. The bodily and emotional symptoms during menstruation can affect the overall activity of young girls. Emotional Freedom Techniques is a new intervention method in energy psychology that has an excellent positive effect on psychological and physiological symptoms and life quality. It has the ability to reduce the intensity of multiple symptoms within a short period of time. The main objective was to investigate the effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on psychological distress and somatic symptoms among students with primary dysmenorrhea.
Materials and methods: A pre-experimental one group pretest-posttest study was conducted among students with primary dysmenorrhea in selected nursing colleges, Ernakulam. A sample of 70 students who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included using the purposive sampling technique. The data were collected using a demographic proforma, Self-Structured Psychological Distress Rating Scale and Self-Structured Somatic Symptoms Rating Scale.
Results: The result revealing that Emotional Freedom Techniques was statistically effective in reducing psychological distress (p=0.001) and somatic symptoms (p=0.001) among students with primary dysmenorrhea which were significant at 0.05 level.
Conclusion: The study concluded that Emotional Freedom Techniques was effective in reducing psychological distress and somatic symptoms among students with primary dysmenorrhea.
Keywords: Emotional Freedom Techniques, primary dysmenorrhea, psychological distress, somatic symptoms.