ReviewClinical psychology review2021
Respiratory therapy for the treatment of anxiety: Meta-analytic review and regression.
Review in Clinical psychology review, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials.Scientific reports · 2023Pooled it
- Breathing therapy for patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms and dysfunctional breathing: A pilot and feasibility trial.PloS one · 2025Trial
- The Impact of a Technology-Assisted, Two-Month Breathing Exercise Intervention on Daily Affect, Weekly Stress and Examinational Stress.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Nocturnal hypoxia moderates the relationship between rapid eye movement sleep and anxiety.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Breathwork for Chronic Stress and Mental Health: Does Choosing a Specific Technique Matter?Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Comparing the Effects of Square, 4-7-8, and 6 Breaths-per-Minute Breathing Conditions on Heart Rate Variability, COApplied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2025Article
- The Importance of Including Psychophysiological Methods in Psychotherapy.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2025Review
- Getting comfortable with physical discomfort: A scoping review of interoceptive exposure in physical and mental health conditions.Psychological bulletin · 2025Article
- Effect of nurse-led interventions on dyspnea severity and psychological well-being among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Bioinformation · 2025Article
- Article
- Design of a Remote Multiparametric Tool to Assess Mental Well-Being and Distress in Young People (mHealth Methods in Mental Health Research Project): Protocol for an Observational Study.JMIR research protocols · 2024Article
- The work experiences and career development expectations of Chinese respiratory therapists: a descriptive qualitative study.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Mind-body internet and mobile-based interventions for depression and anxiety in adults with chronic physical conditions: A systematic review of RCTs.PLOS digital health · 2024Article
- The role of torso stiffness and prediction in the biomechanics of anxiety: a narrative review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Review
- Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual Framework of Implementation Guidelines Based on a Systematic Review of the Published Literature.Brain sciences · 2023Review
- Effect of Chest Physiotherapy on Quality of Life, Exercise Capacity and Pulmonary Function in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Network analysis of body-related complaints in patients with neurotic or personality disorders referred to psychotherapy.Heliyon · 2023Article
- Breathwork Interventions for Adults with Clinically Diagnosed Anxiety Disorders: A Scoping Review.Brain sciences · 2023Article
- Assessing effectiveness of heart rate variability biofeedback to mitigate mental health symptoms: a pilot study.Frontiers in physiology · 2023Article
- My Life in HRV Biofeedback Research.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveRespiratory abnormalities are a hallmark of anxiety symptomatology and may serve as clinically useful modifiers for alleviating anxiety symptoms. However, gold-standard anxiety treatments (e.g., cognitive-behavioral interventions) often do not directly address respiratory components despite their theoretical utility and clinical accessibility. This review examined the clinical effectiveness of respiratory interventions, interventions that directly target respiration abnormalities and processes, in treating trait anxiety symptoms.
methodsThe final analysis included 40 randomized controlled trials including at least one measure of trait anxiety, a respiratory-focused intervention group, and a non-respiratory control-group (active or inactive treatment). Overall effects of respiratory focused interventions were examined, as well as the effect of hypothesized moderators.
resultsRespiratory component interventions yielded significantly greater improvements (moderate to large effect) in anxiety symptoms than controls, with the stronger effects observed in comparison to inactive, rather than active, control conditions. Significant heterogeneity in findings suggests that variability in intervention design, population, and control comparison may obfuscate interpretation of findings.
conclusionsEvidence supports the clinical utility of respiratory interventions as either an independent anxiety treatment, or as an adjunct to other interventions. Clinical and research implications of findings along with recommendations for ongoing investigations in this domain are discussed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.