The effect of acupressure therapy on test anxiety and vital signs in nursing students: a randomized controlled study

State test anxiety, which presents as a distinct form of anxiety, is a condition that impairs communication, learning, and academic achievement. Today, there is a growing interest in non-pharmacological methods to mitigate anxiety. One of the most prevalent methods is acupressure therapy. The objective of this study was to ascertain the influence of acupressure therapy on state test anxiety levels and vital signs among nursing students, including systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate, and arterial oxygen saturation. The study population consisted of second-year students enrolled at a university of the 2023–2024 academic year. The study sample consisted of 118 nursing students, who were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 59) or the control group (n = 59) in equal numbers. Data were collected using the Descriptive Information Form, the State Test Anxiety Scale (STAS), and the Vital Signs Follow-Up Form. It was observed that the state test anxiety levels of students in the experimental group decreased in the post-test measurements compared to the pre-test (t = 4.357; p < 0.001). In addition, in the post-test measurements, the decrease in systolic blood pressure (t = 2.176; p = 0.032), diastolic blood pressure (t = 2.644; p = 0.009), and heart rate (t = 3.133; p = 0.002) in the experimental group was found to be significantly greater than that in the control group. No significant difference was found in oxygen saturation values between the pre-test and post-test analyses (p > 0.05). The findings indicated that acupressure therapy was an effective method to reduce state test anxiety, heart rates and the SBP and DBP levels. It is therefore recommended that acupressure therapy be employed and promoted as a means of reducing nursing students’ state test anxiety. This study was retrospectively registered as a randomized controlled trial in the ClinicalTrials Registry. Registration Date: September 05, 2024. Registration Number: NCT06454799.