MedTrace Logo

Diaphragmatic Breathing During Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Aviophobia

NCT02990208 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2016-12-13

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The study investigated the effect of diaphragmatic breathing as an additional coping strategy during Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in patients with aviophobia. The authors assumed that diaphragmatic breathing (DB) would lead to less fear and physiological arousal during the VRET and to an enhanced treatment outcome

Conditions

  • Fear of Flying

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Diaphragmatic breathing

Patients trained in the technique of diaphragmatic breathing were instructed to take a breath by contracting the diaphragm and were trained to maintain their respiration frequency. They were told to inhale through the nose for four seconds and exhale through the mouth for six seconds (six cycles per minute). Patients then had five minutes to practice by following verbal breathing instructions provided over headphones. During VR exposure breathing instructions were provided via headphones. Diaphragmatic is thought to reduce arousal on the physiological level (Hazlett-Stevens \& Craske, 2009) but at the same time not to divert attention from the feared situation to the same extent as other coping strategies

BEHAVIORAL

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Exposure to fear-evoking stimuli is conducted more often in virtual environments using simulators or similar computer-technologies (Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy, VRET). One great advantage of using VR-technologies is that it is possible to create an environment which is highly controllable by its creators. Feared stimuli or scenarios can be varied on individual purposes and presented several times. This facilitates the practice of exposure-based treatments especially for situations or places difficult to access or requiring a considerable amount of time and/or money (e.g. being in war zones or a passenger on a flight), where in vivo exposures have often not been conducted or only in a limited manner (Mühlberger \& Pauli, 2011)

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Regensburg

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
20 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2014-01-31
Primary Completion
2015-10-31
Completion
2015-10-31

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02990208 on ClinicalTrials.gov