NCT07067034

Nurse-Led Intervention (Riddikulus) to Reduce Anxiety in University Students

The Riddikulus Nursing Intervention: A Brief, Nurse-Led Intervention to Reduce Student Anxiety in a Randomized Controlled Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 36 (actual)
• Sponsor: Ege Miray Topcu · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This randomized controlled trial investigates the effectiveness of the Riddikulus Nursing Intervention, a brief, low-cost, nurse-led strategy designed to reduce anxiety levels in university students. The intervention uses metaphor-based reflection and creative emotional flexibility techniques in a single-session format. A total of 36 participants were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Anxiety levels were measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) before and after the intervention. The study aims to evaluate whether this innovative, easily applicable approach can significantly reduce short-term perceived anxiety in young adults.

Detailed description

This study investigates the effectiveness of a novel, low-cost, nurse-led psychological intervention called the Riddikulus Nursing Intervention, designed to reduce anxiety levels in university students with moderate anxiety. The intervention was inspired by a metaphorical coping scene from the Harry Potter film series and structured as a single-session, creative, and non-pharmacological approach. During the intervention, participants were asked to generate personal metaphors related to their anxiety and were guided in restructuring these metaphors into less distressing, humorous, or soothing mental images. The process was facilitated by an academic mentor trained in therapeutic communication. The study was conducted at the School of Foreign Languages of Ege University between December 2023 and June 2024. A total of 1100 students were invited, and 549 agreed to participate. Among students with moderate levels of anxiety, 36 participants were included and the study was completed with them. These participants were randomly assigned to intervention (n=17) and control (n=19) groups. Anxiety levels were assessed at three time points-pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up-using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Data analysis was performed with SPSS 25.0, and participant flow was reported using the CONSORT diagram. The results revealed a statistically significant reduction in VAS anxiety scores within the intervention group, with a large effect size. However, no significant differences were observed in BAI scores between the groups over time. These findings suggest that the Riddikulus Intervention may be particularly effective in reducing short-term, perceived anxiety in young adults. Participants also reported subjective improvements in emotional state and metaphor transformation following the session. This study highlights the feasibility and promise of brief, creative, nurse-led interventions for managing moderate anxiety in university settings. Further research with larger sample sizes, repeated sessions, digital delivery formats, and long-term follow-up assessments is recommended to validate and expand upon these findings.

Conditions

• Anxiety
• Nurse-led Supportive Care
• Nursing Interventions

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Ridikullus Nursing İntervention	A one-session, nurse-led psychosocial intervention designed to reduce anxiety in university students. Participants identified personal metaphors related to their anxiety and were guided to reconstruct them into less distressing, humorous, or calming mental images. The intervention was delivered in a structured format by an academic nurse trained in therapeutic communication

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-12-16
• Primary completion: 2024-12-10
• Completion: 2024-12-29
• First posted: 2025-07-15
• Last updated: 2025-09-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Turkey (Türkiye)