An Evidence-based Psychological Intervention Study on Test Anxiety in Middle School Students

To provide the most effective and standardized intervention for exam anxiety among Chinese secondary school students, this study selected 36 students with exam anxiety using a standardized scale and randomly assigned them into three groups for an 8-week intervention. The intervention group received evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the randomized control group received mindfulness training, and the waitlist group received no intervention.The results showed that: (1) Both the evidence-based CBT intervention and the mindfulness training in the control group significantly reduced exam anxiety levels among students, with effects sustained during a 3-month followup. (2) Both the CBT and mindfulness groups outperformed the waitlist group in alleviating exam anxiety. (3) Scores on the OQ-45.2 questionnaire in the evidence-based CBT group significantly decreased after the intervention. These findings suggest that psychological interventions can effectively reduce exam anxiety in secondary school students, and that CBT-based evidence-based interventions show greater effectiveness in improving the overall psychological wellbeing of individuals experiencing exam anxiety.