Auriculoterapia promovendo qualidade de vida em estudantes de enfermagem de uma universidade pública

Abstract

Introduction: Stress is characterized as a physical, psychological, and hormonal response that arises when the body must adapt to situations that may threaten an individual's homeostasis, potentially compromising their quality of life. In recent years, increasing attention has been directed toward the quality of life and stress levels among students in healthcare programs, particularly in nursing. Nursing is a profession inherently associated with caregiving and is thus considered one of the occupations with the highest risk for developing emotional disorders. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of auriculotherapy on and quality of life and stress levels among nursing students at a public university. Methods: A simple-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted involving 60 nursing students, who were allocated into three groups: Control Group (CG), Sham Auriculotherapy Group (SAG), and Intervention Group (IG). Participants completed a socioeconomic questionnaire, the LIPP Stress Symptom Inventory (ISSL) for stress assessment, and the WHOQOL-BREF for quality of life assessment. The intervention lasted five weeks, with evaluations conducted at three different time points. The CG received no intervention and was only monitored. The SAG received sham auriculotherapy applied to non-therapeutic points (elbow, outer ear, knee, and inner ear), while the IG received auriculotherapy at specific therapeutic points: shen men, brainstem, kidney, sympathetic, lung, liver, and anxiety points. The Friedman and Kruskal-Wallis tests with Bonferroni correction were employed to analyze differences over time, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: A reduction in the number of students experiencing severe stages of stress was observed; however, no significant differences were found between the groups. Only the sham group exhibited a statistically significant change over time (p = 0.045). In terms of quality of life, the control group demonstrated significant improvements (p = 0.009) compared to the other groups, particularly in the physical, psychological, and social relationship domains.Conclusion: Auriculotherapy showed potential benefits in improving stress levels and quality of life among nursing students. Nonetheless, further research employing more rigorous methodological designs is necessary to elucidate the effectiveness of auriculotherapy in reducing stress and enhancing quality of life in this population