piekerklachten perseverative cognition
Conditions
Interventions
Stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve via the concha of the
left ear, or stimulation of the earlobe in the control condition. The
stimulation will consist of a constant current of 0
Sponsors
Universiteit Leiden
Eligibility
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Participants must be aged 18-65 years and score higher than 62 on the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), a questionnaire designed to assess worry as a behavioural trait. As described by Behar et al (2003), a cut-off score of 62 on the PSWQ will allow for a highly sensitive and selective selection of chronic worriers when assessing an advertised-for population. Participants can only participate in this study if they have a smartphone on which they can download the app which will be used to prompt participants to answer the daily questions.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria for this study are based on the study by Kreuzer and colleagues (2012). As such, participants will be excluded from participating in the proposed study if they are diagnosed with a neurological or cardiac disease, and if the participant does not have a history of alcohol or drug abuse. Participants will be excluded from participating in this study if they use other psychological or pharmacological interventions at the start of or during the study. Additionally, participants will be excluded if they can*t read and comprehend Dutch language, and if they are unable to give informed consent. Finally, participants are excluded from participating in this study if they indicate that the stimulation is intolerable.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The daily ambulatory assessment of perseverative cognitions is the main study parameter of this study. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| We are interested in the effects of tVNS on neurophysiological underpinnings of worry. These secondary study parameters will be tested during the psychophysiological assessments, which are scheduled four times over the course of the study. | — |
Countries
Netherlands
Outcome results
None listed