Binaural Beat Technology and Rhythmical Photic Stimulation

National Cheng Kung University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Depression

Treatments: Other: Relaxing music group; Other: Sound and light therapy (BBT and FL group); Other: Sound therapy group (BBT)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05666661

CMUH110-REC3-021

Details and patient eligibility

About

Background Many nurses must shoulder heavy workloads and often develop depressive emotions due to work stress. Previous studies pointed out that binaural beat technology (BBT) and rhythmical photic stimulation can effectively improve negative emotions but there are very few related empirical studies.

Objectives This study examined the effectiveness of BBT combined with rhythmical photic stimulation in improving depressive symptoms in nurses.

Methods This is a randomized controlled trial and nurses in central Taiwan were recruited as participants. These participants were randomized into three groups: BBT combined with rhythmical photic stimulation group, BBT group, and relaxing music group. The intervention period was 2 weeks, with 30 minutes per session. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), vitality and mental health scale (VT&MH from SF-36), and heart rate variability (HRV) were used as parameters for pre- and posttest evaluation in this study. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to test if there are significant differences in various parameters in the three groups before and after intervention. The Krusal-Wallis test was used to test for significant differences in parameter changes between the three groups.

Enrollment: 75 patients

Sex

Ages: 25 to 55 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• (1) BDI score ≥ 14 points; (2) aged between 20 and 50 years, and (3) did not undergo antidepressant treatment within 3 months before intervention and during intervention.

Exclusion criteria

• (1) Subjects with a medical history of mixed psychosis, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and dementia; (2) patients with current acute disease and unstable physiological status; (3) medical history of epilepsy; (4) patients with eye diseases; (5) vertigo (including Meniere's syndrome); (6) hearing loss; and (7) participated in electroconvulsive therapy or transcranial electrical stimulation within 1 month prior to or during intervention.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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75 participants in 3 patient groups

Sound and light therapy group (BBT and FL group)

Experimental group

Description:

30 minutes of intervention every day for 14 consecutive days.

Treatment:

Other: Sound and light therapy (BBT and FL group)

Sound therapy group (BBT)

Experimental group

Description:

30 minutes of intervention every day for 14 consecutive days.

Treatment:

Other: Sound therapy group (BBT)

Relaxing music group

Sham Comparator group

Description:

30 minutes of intervention every day for 14 consecutive days.

Treatment:

Other: Relaxing music group