This study aims to investigate the specific effects of Flash Technique (FT) on adolescents with test anxiety. This follow-up study consists of 38 adolescents, 14–17 years of age (M = 15.39, SD = 1.13). Pre-post assessments were conducted using the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI), Scale of Attitudes Negatively Affecting the Performance I/Test (POET), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) at baseline, at the end of the 4th and 12th weeks of therapy. The FT was applied for 12 weeks, with one weekly session as an intervention. As a result of the therapy process, the baseline means of total BAI scores decreased from 25.26 to 2.18; the baseline means of TAI decreased from 149.79 to 39.13, and the baseline mean of POET decreased from 298.47 to 73.84 at the end of the 12th week of therapy. Also, the baseline means of SUD scores decreased from 9.42 to zero at the end of the 12th week of treatment. All the adolescents showed complete improvement after the 12th week of the FT. The study findings showed that the test anxiety symptoms significantly decreased with the treatment of the FT. FT can be an effective intervention for test anxiety in adolescents.
Plain Language Summary
Test anxiety is defined as a set of reactions that include negative thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations that arise from the possibility of failure during an exam or evaluation. Adolescence is a period marked by significant changes in cognitive, psychosocial, and emotional development, which can make test anxiety particularly critical during this time. Test anxiety has a two-factor structure, encompassing emotional-physical and cognitive aspects. Additionally, prolonged test anxiety can lead to adverse outcomes such as sleep disorders, depression, crying spells, and eating disorders. In some cases, it may even result in self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Also, parental acceptance, control, and modeling may be associated with anxiety symptoms in children. Test anxiety can carry traumatic traces from students' past experiences of failure or fears related to the potential outcomes of exams. In this context, it is suggested that EMDR might help individuals reprocess irrational beliefs about past failures and develop more functional, positive beliefs. EMDR is thought to positively affect test anxiety by addressing negative thoughts, bodily sensations, and emotions. One novel trauma-related intervention is the Flash technique (FT). Although FT was initially created as a supplement to the preparation stage of EMDR, it has evolved to a stand-alone trauma therapy currently. FT is quickly alleviating the distress caused by disturbing memories. It is aimed at investigating the specific effects of the FT on adolescents with test anxiety. In the present study, adolescents with test anxiety showed significant improvements in anxiety severity and their traumatic events impact levels decreased. As a result of our study, a 12-week FT treatment was observed to be effective for adolescents with test anxiety.
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