Clinical trial NCT00397007: Psychophysiological Treatment of Chronic Tinnitus
Official title: Evaluation of Psychological and Psychophysiological Effects of a Biofeedback-based Cognitive-behavioral Psychotherapy for Chronic Tinnitus-sufferers
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE2
Conditions: Tinnitus
Keywords: tinnitus
biofeedback
psychophysiological reactivity
intervention
Lead sponsor: Philipps University Marburg
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: German Research Foundation
First posted: 2006-11-08
Enrollment: 130
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 16
Maximum age (years): 75
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The study aims to develop and to evaluate a psychophysiological intervention for distressing chronic tinnitus. Therefore 100 people suffering from chronic tinnitus are randomly assigned to either an intervention-group, receiving 12 sessions of a psychophysiological oriented intervention, or to a waiting-list-group, who are waiting for a comparable time period. Afterwards, patients of the waiting-list-group also receive intervention. The effects of the intervention on severity, distress and perceived loudness of the tinnitus as well as on other psychological variables like depression or self-efficacy are evaluated through comparing the results of the intervention group with those of the waiting-list-group.

Additionally the psychophysiological reactivity under different stress-conditions is measured before and after intervention or waiting. Therefore the activity of the muscles of head and shoulders (EMG) as well as the skin temperature and skin conductance are measured. It is hypothesized that patients with stronger psychophysiological reactivity benefit more from an psychophysiological intervention.

Detailed description: The study aims to develop and to evaluate a psychophysiological intervention for distressing chronic tinnitus. Therefore 100 people suffering from chronic tinnitus are randomly assigned to either an intervention-group, receiving 12 sessions of a psychophysiological oriented intervention, or to a waiting-list-group, who are waiting for a comparable time period. Afterwards, patients of the waiting-list-group also receive intervention. The effects of the intervention on severity, distress and perceived loudness of the tinnitus as well as on other psychological variables like depression or self-efficacy are evaluated through comparing the results of the intervention group with those of the waiting-list-group.

Additionally the psychophysiological reactivity under different stress-conditions is measured before and after intervention or waiting. Therefore the activity of the muscles of head and shoulders (EMG) as well as the skin temperature and skin conductance are measured. It is hypothesized that patients with stronger psychophysiological reactivity benefit more from an psychophysiological intervention.

Further aims of the study are 1) to compare the muscle activity of the tinnitus-patients with those from healthy controls, because till now no study investigated if tinnitus-patients effectively present higher muscle activity in head and shoulders than healthy people and 2) to evaluate the influence of the subjective illness perceptions on the intervention-outcome, because it is hypothesized that patients with more somatic illness perceptions benefit more from a psychophysiological intervention than patients with rather psychological illness perceptions.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* 100 subjects with distressing and chronic tinnitus (for at least 6 month)
* age: 16-75 years
* sufficient language skills

plus

* 50 healthy control-subjects
* without tinnitus or other hearing disease

Exclusion Criteria (for both):

* tinnitus as a result of medical disease (e.g.Meniere's disease)
* attendance in the previous study
* psychosis or dementia

Primary outcomes:
measure: Tinnitus Questionnaire German Version
measure: Tinnitus diary
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Symptom Check List
measure: Beck Depression Inventory
measure: Illness perception questionnaire
measure: Pain disability index
measure: Generalized self efficacy
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Marburg
country: Germany
facility: Philipps-University Marburg, Faculty of Psychology
Study officials:
affiliation: Philipps University Marburg
name: Winfried Rief
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References:
citation: Rief W, Weise C, Kley N, Martin A. Psychophysiologic treatment of chronic tinnitus: a randomized clinical trial. Psychosom Med. 2005 Sep-Oct;67(5):833-8. doi: 10.1097/01.psy.0000174174.38908.c6.
citation: Heinecke K, Weise C, Schwarz K, Rief W. Physiological and psychological stress reactivity in chronic tinnitus. J Behav Med. 2008 Jun;31(3):179-88. doi: 10.1007/s10865-007-9145-0. Epub 2008 Jan 12.
citation: Weise, C, Heinecke, K, & Rief, W . Biofeedback bei chronischem Tinnitus - Behandlungsleitfaden und vorläufige Ergebnisse zu Wirksamkeit und Akzeptanz [Biofeedback for chronic tinnitus - Treatment guidelines and preliminary results regarding their efficacy and acceptance]. Verhaltenstherapie 17(4): 220-230, 2007.
citation: Weise C, Heinecke K, Rief W. Biofeedback-based behavioral treatment for chronic tinnitus: results of a randomized controlled trial. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2008 Dec;76(6):1046-57. doi: 10.1037/a0013811.
citation: Weise C, Heinecke K, Rief W. Stability of physiological variables in chronic tinnitus sufferers. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2008 Sep;33(3):149-59. doi: 10.1007/s10484-008-9058-x. Epub 2008 Jul 4.