Source:Journal of Anxiety Disorders
Author(s): Z. Trost, A. Jones, A. Guck, T. Vervoort, J.M. Kowalsky, C.R. France
Fear of blood, injections, and needles commonly prevents or delays individuals' receipt of health care, such as vaccines or blood draws. Innovative methods are needed to overcome these fears and reduce anxiety related to activities of this nature. The present study describes initial testing of an arm illusion paradigm that may prove useful during early phases of graded exposure for people with blood and needle fear. The primary objectives of this study were to: (1) determine whether illusion of arm ownership was successfully induced using a virtual blood draw paradigm, (2) evaluate the association between self-report measures relevant to blood draw and presyncopal reactions in response the virtual blood draw, and (3) evaluate physiological responses over the course of exposure to the virtual blood draw protocol. Seventy-four undergraduate students aged 18-29 years participated in the study. Self-report measures related to general state anxiety and fear of blood and needle stimuli were completed before exposure to the virtual blood draw paradigm, and measures of blood pressure, heart rate, electrodermal activity and respiratory rate were obtained during exposure to the paradigm. Results indicated that the virtual blood draw paradigm promoted strong perceptions of arm ownership and elicited significant changes in each of the physiological measures. Further, individual differences in self-reported blood and needle fear were significantly associated with self-reported presyncopal symptoms, even after controlling for general state anxiety. These findings provide initial support for the virtual blood draw paradigm as a promising tool to help provide graded exposure to medical procedures involving needles and blood draw.
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