Comparative Efficacy of Hypnotherapy with Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) in Reduction of Test Anxiety and Improving Academic Performance

Abstract

Test anxiety research has provided evidence that stress and adverse emotions accompany the daily experiences of students in schools and universities. Individual differences play an important role not only for students ’achievement at school, but also in their experience of test anxiety. While efficacy of CBT has been established in reduction of test anxiety and increasing academic performance, the present study was an attempt to forward the field of anxiety treatment in India by the use of Hypnotherapy in this field. In this study comparative efficacy of Hypnotherapy with both CBT and a no treatment control group was established on a sample comprising of 72 students(equal number of half boys and half girls in each sample), selected on the basis of pre-test measure TAI(Spielberger, 1980). Their previous year's academic scores and I.Q. scores (pre-test measure) were used to identify underachievers. In this study while both the active therapies were significantly efficacious in reducing test anxiety, only Hypnotherapy was found significantly efficacious in improving academic achievement as compared to the CBT and a notreatment control group. However CBT showed better results than Hypnotherapy in the reduction of Test anxiety. No significant gender differences emerged.