Effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on Fatigue, Hopelessness, and Perceived Stigma in Women With Unsuccessful IVF Experience

Official title

The Effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques Based on Levine's Conservation Model on Fatigue, Hopelessness, and Perceived Stigma in Women With Unsuccessful IVF Experience: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Overview

In this study, it is planned to provide nursing care to women with an experience of unsuccessful IVF treatment by combining Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) with the principles developed in line with the philosophy of Levine's Conservation Model. Women with an experience of unsuccessful IVF treatment will be evaluated according to the three conservation principles, and these principles will form the basis of the setup statements used in the EFT sessions. When evaluated within the scope of the model, infertility disrupts the individual's energy conservation, leading to increased fatigue; impairs personal integrity, causing feelings of hopelessness; and threatens social integrity, resulting in feelings of stigma and isolation. In line with the integrity principles emphasized in Levine's model, it is considered that EFT may reduce fatigue by regulating the disrupted energy balance, alleviate levels of hopelessness by supporting personal integrity, and reduce the effects of infertility-related stigma by strengthening social integrity. In this context, this study will be conducted to examine the effects of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), structured in accordance with Levine's Conservation Model, on levels of fatigue, hopelessness, and perceived stigma in women with an experience of unsuccessful IVF treatment. This study will be conducted with 80 women who have experienced unsuccessful IVF treatment and meet the inclusion criteria of the study, including 40 women in the experimental group and 40 women in the control group, at Atatürk University Research Hospital In Vitro Fertilization Center. In the study, pre-test data of women in the experimental and control groups assigned through randomization will be collected using the Participant Information Form, the Visual Analog Scale for Fatigue, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the Infertility Stigma Scale. EFT structured in line with Levine's Conservation Model will be applied to the women in the experimental group, while no intervention will be applied to the control group. Post-test data will be collected from women in both the experimental and control groups after the completion of the 4-week EFT sessions. In order to test the effectiveness of EFT over time, repeated measurements will be conducted one month after the last application for each participant, and women in the experimental and control groups will complete the Visual Analog Scale for Fatigue, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the Infertility Stigma Scale again. The data of the experimental and control groups, coded as X and Y, will be transferred to a computer environment by an independent statistician, and the data will be analyzed and the findings will be reported.

Interventions

• Behavioral Emotional Freedom Technique
  Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a behavioral mind-body intervention that combines cognitive and somatic components. In this study, EFT will be structured in line with Levine's Conservation Model and tailored according to the three conservation principles (energy, personal integrity, and social integrity). The intervention will be delivered by a trained nurse through standardized EFT sessions conducted over a 4-week period. Each session will include setup statements developed based on the p

Primary outcome measures

• Visual Analog Scale for Fatigue [Time frame: This form will be administered at baseline. The experimental group will receive EFT for 4 weeks. The form will be re-administered as a post-test after the intervention and as a follow-up test one month later.]
• Beck Hopelessness Scale [Time frame: This form will be administered at baseline. The experimental group will receive EFT for 4 weeks. The form will be re-administered as a post-test after the intervention and as a follow-up test one month later.]
• Infertility Stigma Scale [Time frame: This form will be administered at baseline. The experimental group will receive EFT for 4 weeks. The form will be re-administered as a post-test after the intervention and as a follow-up test one month later.]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Women aged between 18 and 45 years,
• Having experienced at least one unsuccessful IVF treatment,
• Able to read and write in Turkish,
• Having no hearing or visual impairment,
• Having no diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder,
• Not using any complementary and alternative therapy methods (such as Reiki, hypnofertility, or acupressure),
• Scoring 4 or higher on the Beck Hopelessness Scale,
• Residing in the province of Erzurum,
• Willing to participate in the study voluntarily.

Exclusion criteria

• Receiving any assisted reproductive treatment during the study period,
• Developing a healthy pregnancy after enrollment in the study,
• Being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder after the start of the study,
• Initiating the use of any complementary and alternative therapy methods during the study period,
• Women who request to withdraw from the study will be excluded from the sample.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Single blind

Primary purpose

Other

Study locations

Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07477665 · B.30.2.ATA.0.01.00/802

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗