Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29548298›Full record

ArticleTrials2018

Effects of heart rate variability biofeedback during exposure to fear-provoking stimuli within spider-fearful individuals: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Sarah K Schäfer, Frank R Ihmig, Karen A Lara H, Frank Neurohr, Stephan Kiefer, Marlene Staginnus, Johanna Lass-Hennemann, Tanja Michael

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04866511 (Video Narrative Exposure Therapy), which is not on this map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04866511 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

Video Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) With Children and Young People Who Witnessed Domestic Violence: A Naturalistic Single Case Study Series

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of NottinghamRan2021 to 2022Enrolled5ConditionsPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Adolescence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Complex, Domestic ViolenceArmsNarrative Exposure Therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Sarah K SchäferDivision of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Building A 1.3, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.
Frank R IhmigDepartment of Biomedical Microsystems, Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Biomedizinische Technik (IBMT), Sulzbach, Saar, Germany.
Karen A Lara HDepartment of Biomedical Microsystems, Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Biomedizinische Technik (IBMT), Sulzbach, Saar, Germany.
Frank NeurohrDepartment of Biomedical Microsystems, Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Biomedizinische Technik (IBMT), Sulzbach, Saar, Germany.
Stephan KieferDepartment of Biomedical Microsystems, Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Biomedizinische Technik (IBMT), Sulzbach, Saar, Germany.
Marlene StaginnusDivision of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Building A 1.3, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.
Johanna Lass-HennemannDivision of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Building A 1.3, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.
Tanja MichaelDivision of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Building A 1.3, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany. t.michael@mx.uni-saarland.de.
Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering · DESaarland University · DE

Funding

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung 13GW0158BBundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung 13GW0158C
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSpecific phobias are among the most common anxiety disorders. Exposure therapy is the treatment of choice for specific phobias. However, not all patients respond equally well to it. Hence, current research focuses on therapeutic add-ons to increase and consolidate the effects of exposure therapy. One potential therapeutic add-on is biofeedback to increase heart rate variability (HRV). A recent meta-analysis shows beneficial effects of HRV biofeedback interventions on stress and anxiety symptoms. Therefore, the purpose of the current trial is to evaluate the effects of HRV biofeedback, which is practiced before and utilized during exposure, in spider-fearful individuals. Further, this trial is the first to differentiate between the effects of a HRV biofeedback intervention and those of a low-load working memory (WM) task.

methodsEighty spider-fearful individuals participate in the study. All participants receive a training session in which they practice two tasks (HRV biofeedback and a motor pseudo-biofeedback task or two motor pseudo-biofeedback tasks). Afterwards, they train both tasks at home for 6 days. One week later, during the exposure session, they watch 16 1-min spider video clips. Participants are divided into four groups: group 1 practices the HRV biofeedback and one motor pseudo-task before exposure and utilizes HRV biofeedback during exposure. Group 2 receives the same training, but continues the pseudo-biofeedback task during exposure. Group 3 practices two pseudo-biofeedback tasks and continues one of them during exposure. Group 4 trains in two pseudo-biofeedback tasks and has no additional task during exposure. The primary outcome is fear of spiders (measured by the Fear of Spiders Questionnaire and the Behavioral Approach Test). Secondary outcomes are physiological measures based on electrodermal activity, electrocardiogram and respiration. DISCUSSION: This RCT is the first one to investigate the effects of using a pre-trained HRV biofeedback during exposure in spider-fearful individuals. The study critically contrasts the effects of the biofeedback intervention with those of pseudo-tasks, which also require WM capacity, but which do not have a physiological base. If HRV biofeedback is effective in reducing fear of spiders, it would represent an easy-to-use tool to improve exposure-therapy outcomes.

trial registrationDeutsches Register Klinischer Studien, DRKS00012278 . Registered on 23 May 2017, amendment on 5 October 2017.

Indexed as

Biofeedback, PsychologyHeart RateRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSpidersAdultAnimalsData CollectionFearHumansYoung AdultBiofeedbackExposition therapyExposure therapyFear of spidersHeart rate variabilityHRV biofeedbackSpider phobia

Identifiers

PMID29548298
PMCPMC5857097
OpenAlexW2796545215

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.