2026-10-06T08:41:58Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33969661 2026-09-23T03:06:25Z category_30364 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

<b>A Randomized Controlled Trial of Positive Suggestions Grounded in Astrological Subculture for Alleviating Test Anxiety via Belief Congruence</b> qiuxue Du (25092691) Health psychology Test Anxiety Astrological Subculture Positive Suggestion Elaboration Likelihood Model <p dir="ltr">We conducted a two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial (N = 68 randomized; 65 analyzed) to investigate whether positive suggestions rooted in astrological subculture could alleviate test anxiety among university students with high astrological identification. Using a 2 (group) × 5 (time point) mixed design, we found that—compared to the control group receiving neutral feedback—the experimental group exhibited significant reductions in both state and trait test anxiety. Furthermore, trait test anxiety fully mediated the effect of the intervention on post-intervention state test anxiety. We interpret these findings through the lens of the Elaboration Likelihood Model, proposing that suggestion content congruent with an individual's existing belief system facilitates deeper (central route) processing, thereby eliciting more intense and immediate emotional changes.</p> 2026-09-23T03:06:25Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.33969661.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_b_A_Randomized_Controlled_Trial_of_Positive_Suggestions_Grounded_in_Astrological_Subculture_for_Alleviating_Test_Anxiety_via_Belief_Congruence_b_/33969661 CC BY 4.0