Clinical trial NCT02990208: Diaphragmatic Breathing During Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Aviophobia
Official title: Diaphragmatic Breathing During Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Aviophobia: Functional Coping Strategy or Avoidance Behavior? A Pilot Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Fear of Flying
Keywords: Diaphragmatic Breathing
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
Lead sponsor: University of Regensburg
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2016-12-13
Enrollment: 30
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 20
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

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.

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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in FFS (Fear of Flying Scale) scores
timeFrame: immediately before the exposure session, immediately after the exposure session, immediately before the test session (which took place one week after the exposure session), immediately after the test session, in a follow up (one year later)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in fear ratings
timeFrame: both during the VR flights (consisting of four 2-min phases each) of the exposure and the test session. Ratings were asked one minute after the beginning of each phase of each flight.
measure: Change in heart rate
timeFrame: during the four 2-min phases of each of the three VR flights of the exposure session and of each of the two VR flights of the test session.
measure: Change in electrodermal activity (skin conductance level)
timeFrame: during the four 2-min phases of each of the three VR flights of the exposure session and of each of the two VR flights of the test session.
measure: Change in self-efficacy scores
timeFrame: immediately before the exposure session, immediately after the exposure session, immediately before the test session (which took place one week after the exposure session), immediately after the test session, in a follow up (one year later)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
References:
citation: 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.