Diaphragmatic Breathing During Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Aviophobia

NCT ID: NCT02990208

Last Updated: 2016-12-13

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 30 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2014-01-31
• Study Completion Date: 2015-10-31

Brief 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

Detailed Description

Patients with aviophobia received treatment in Virtual Reality with or without DB. The authors assumed that adding DB to VRET would enhance treatment effects by reducing fear during exposure, thus improving the processing of the feared situation. The authors hypothesized that, as a result, self-efficacy would be increased in comparison to VRET alone.

Conditions

Fear of Flying

Keywords

Diaphragmatic Breathing; Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

VR exposure + diaphragmatic breathing

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy + Diaphragmatic breathing

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Diaphragmatic breathing

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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)

VR exposure

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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)

Interventions

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

Intervention Type: 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)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• age 20 to 65
• flying experience
• subjective rating of fear of flying > 60 from 100

Exclusion Criteria

• pregnancy
• heart disease
• current involvement in psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy

• Minimum Eligible Age: 20 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Regensburg

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Shiban Youssef

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

References

Shiban Y, Diemer J, Muller J, Brutting-Schick J, Pauli P, Muhlberger A. Diaphragmatic breathing during virtual reality exposure therapy for aviophobia: functional coping strategy or avoidance behavior? a pilot study. BMC Psychiatry. 2017 Jan 18;17(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s12888-016-1181-2.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 28100203 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

BREATH150521014

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id