tDCS for Stress and Burnout in Higher Education

Enrolling by invitation · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Occupational Stress or Workplace Stress, Burnout Syndrome, Burnout

In brief

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

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07411833

Run by

Egas Moniz - Cooperativa de Ensino Superior, CRL

People needed

60

Starts

2026-02-18

Expected to finish

2026-08-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-02-20

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• University staff in active functions
• Age equal to or greater than 18 years
• Availability for the 10 intervention sessions and subsequent assessments
• Voluntary participation with informed consent

You may not qualify if…

• Contraindications for tDCS, namely pregnancy, history of seizures or epilepsy, neurological or anatomical contraindications, metal implants or brain surgeries
• Initiation or change in prescription of psychotropic drugs or anticonvulsants in the last 3 months
• Recent active psychotherapy
• Diagnosis of psychiatric condition in the last year

Where it is running

• Egas Moniz School of Health and Science — Almada, Setúbal District, Portugal

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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