Diaphragmatic breathing during virtual reality exposure therapy for aviophobia: functional coping strategy or...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Behavioral Therapy

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy is effective for specific phobias.
• The impact of relaxation or distraction techniques during exposure therapy is debated.
• Diaphragmatic breathing (DB) is a relaxation technique investigated in this study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of diaphragmatic breathing (DB) during VR exposure therapy for aviophobia.
• To determine if DB enhances or impairs treatment outcomes in VR exposure therapy.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-nine aviophobia patients were randomized into two groups: VR exposure with or without DB.
• Fear was assessed using subjective ratings, heart rate, and skin conductance.
• Assessments were conducted during exposure and in a follow-up session one week later.

Main Results:

• The group receiving VR exposure with DB showed a greater tendency to overcome fear of flying.
• Both groups experienced decreased fear and increased self-efficacy.
• No significant differences in psychophysiological measures of fear reduction were found between the groups.

Conclusions:

• Diaphragmatic breathing during VR exposure therapy does not negatively impact treatment outcomes for aviophobia.
• DB may potentially enhance the effectiveness of VR exposure therapy for fear of flying.
• Further research is warranted to confirm the enhancing effects of DB in VR exposure therapy.