TY  - JOUR
AB  - Eating and nutrition disorders (ED) are complex psychological conditions characterized by a dysfunctional relationship with food and one’s body image. Of these, anorexia nervosa appears to be the most severe form, characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and subsequent extreme food restriction, which can even lead to death. In order to implement treatment by promoting relaxation and subsequent caloric intake, several techniques have been developed and proposed including diaphragmatic breathing techniques. It has been shown how the proposed gradual exposure through virtual reality can be a valuable tool for the treatment of eating disorders. In this study, a relaxation protocol with Virtual Reality (VR) support is proposed for the treatment of pediatric patients with anorexia nervosa. The study was conducted in a long-stay pediatric ward and involved 12 subjects with anorexia nervosa aged 10 to 18 years. The participants were asked to undergo one breathing session per day before dinner for 30 days accompanied by the use of a virtual reality visor. To monitor the progress of symptoms, a battery of tests was administered every 10 days from day one. Several correlations emerged between the constructs investigated by the administered testing; however, from the analysis of the case reports of the 7 participants who completed the research, it is not possible to find an unambiguous result as some reported benefiting from the treatment as opposed to others. Although previous studies prove the effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing for the treatment of anxious states, the present study found no such effect, noting mixed feedback among participants. It is hypothesized that this result is partly due to the failure to find a large enough sample to perform the necessary statistical analysis. Clinical and research suggestions emerge in this study to further investigate the use of RV in ED. This study is comparable with opinions of authoritative authorities, based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experiences or expert committee reports and some experimental studies.
AU  - Righetti, P. L.
AU  - Ballarini, M.
AU  - Grimaldi, F.
AU  - Livio, E.L.
AU  - Longo, S.
AU  - Nizzoli, U.
AU  - Righetti, J.M.
AU  - Calvo, V.
AU  - Zuin, M.
DA  - 2025-05-12
DO  - https://www.doi.org/10.32044/ijedo.2025.02
KW  - Anorexia Nervosa
Virtual Reality (VR)
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Pediatric Patients
Relaxation Techniques
L1  - internal-pdf://2857414092/202502.pdf
LA  - English
M3  - Original article
PY  - 2025
SE  - 17
ST  - The use of virtual reality for the treatment of anxiety states in pediatric patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. A pilot study
T2  - IJEDO
TI  - The use of virtual reality for the treatment of anxiety states in pediatric patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. A pilot study
UR  - https://onlineijedo.positivepress.net/articoli/10.32044/ijedo202502/
VL  - 7
ID  - 21
ER  -