Auriculotherapy for the treatment of anxiety in university students: systematic review

Abstract

Objective: Synthesize the evidence available in the scientific literature on the use of auriculotherapy in the treatment of anxiety in university students. Methods: This is a systematic literature review, performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). The search was performed in 16 databases, using controlled descriptors. The search, selection and evaluation of articles were carried out independently by two reviewers. For evaluation, the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture, Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool, and Jadad scale were used. Results: Five articles made up the final sample of the study, which indicate that auriculotherapy contributes to treating university students' anxiety. The treatment protocols revealed differences in the application points and the minimum number of sessions to reach the desired outcome. Final considerations: The use of auriculotherapy should be considered by educational institutions to promote mental health in this population, and it can contribute to improving academic performance, reducing dropout rates and improving the quality of life of university students.