tDCS for Stress and Burnout in Higher Education

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): Active transcranial direct current stimulation will be administered using the PlatoWork tDCS Headset device, developed by PlatoScience, with 20-minute stimulation sessions. The intervention consists of 10 sessions distributed over 4 weeks, with the anode electrode positioned over the left prefrontal cortex (F3 position) and cathode electrode over the right prefrontal cortex (F4 position).

Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Sham transcranial direct current stimulation will be administered using the PlatoWork tDCS Headset device configured in sham mode. The sham procedure mimics the active tDCS intervention in all aspects (electrode placement, session duration, device operation) but does not deliver therapeutic stimulation. This serves as a placebo control to assess the specific effects of active tDCS.

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate if transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) works to reduce occupational stress and burnout in university professors. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does tDCS reduce levels of occupational stress in university professors?

Does tDCS reduce burnout levels in university professors?

Researchers will compare active tDCS to a sham stimulation (a look-alike procedure that contains no active stimulation) and a control group to see if tDCS effectively reduces stress and burnout.

Participants will:

* Complete questionnaires assessing stress and burnout levels before the intervention
* Complete follow-up assessments immediately after the intervention and 5 weeks later

During intervention, participans of active tDCS and Sham gruops will:

* Receive 10 sessions of tDCS over 4 weeks (excluding weekends), 20 minutes each

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Change in Burnout levels measured by the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-12) — Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention completion (approximately 4 weeks), and at 5-week follow-up (approximately 9 weeks from baseline)
  The BAT-12 assesses burnout in four dimensions (Exhaustion, Mental Distance, Cognitive and Emotional Impairment Control) with 12 items on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Never; 5 = Always). Higher scores indicate greater burnout. The Portuguese version presents good internal consistency with α=0.85.
• Change in Perceived Stress measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) — Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention completion (approximately 4 weeks), and at 5-week follow-up (approximately 9 weeks from baseline)
  The PSS assesses perceived stress in recent weeks. Contains 10 items on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = Never; 4 = Very frequently). The Portuguese version presents good internal consistency with α=0.79.

Trial sites (1)

More Egas Moniz - Cooperativa de Ensino Superior, CRL trials in Portugal

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