Effectiveness and User Experiences of an Internet-Based EMDR Flash Intervention (Sky-Flash) on Exam Anxiety among University Students: A Protocol Study

Exam anxiety is a prevalent concern among university students. Various barriers—including fear of stigmatization, economic costs, and long waiting lists—prevent students from seeking psychological support. Internet-based interventions can help overcome these barriers, facilitating students’ access to support programs. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) Flash intervention is an innovative technique that can yield effects in a relatively short period and allows individuals to benefit without experiencing intense emotional burden. This protocol presents the design of a randomized controlled trial that will evaluate the effects of an internet-based intervention based on the EMDR Flash technique on university students’ exam anxiety and psychological well-being, as well as assess participants’ user experiences. Participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention group ( n = 84) or the control group ( n = 84). Those in the experimental group will receive a 6-session internet-based intervention, whereas participants in the control group will not receive any intervention. In both groups, pretest, posttest, and follow-up assessments will be administered. Primary analyses will be conducted using linear mixed-effects models to examine group, time, and group × time interaction effects across pretest, posttest, and follow-up assessments, while descriptive statistics and independent-samples tests will be used for preliminary analyses. Semistructured interviews will then be conducted to explore the effectiveness, usability, and user experiences of the program. This study has the potential to generate evidence regarding the effectiveness of an unguided internet-based intervention based on the EMDR Flash technique for managing exam anxiety among university students. If effective, Sky-Flash can make a novel contribution to literature and provide accessible, low-cost, innovative support for students.