The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of using the SinuSonic on psychological and physical well-being in adults who have nasal/sinus congestion. The study aims are: * Aim #1: to evaluate the effect of the SinuSonic on physical and psychological well-being in individuals with chronic nasal congestion; * Aim #2: to evaluate the relationship between autonomic reactivity and psychological well-being (i.e., anxiety and depression) in individuals with chronic nasal congestion; * Exploratory Aim: to evaluate the impact of adverse experiences on physical and psychological well-being in individuals who experience chronic nasal congestion. Participants will be asked to complete self-report measures of physical health, mental health and autonomic regulation before using SinuSonic (i.e., baseline research session) and after 5 weeks of directed use (post-intervention). Demographic information and adverse experiences will be documented during the baseline research session. Participants will be asked to document (weekly) current nasal symptoms and SinuSonic usage.
All data collection will occur remotely using REDCap (via University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) and SinuSonic use will take place in participants' homes. As this is a single-arm, feasibility/pilot study, all participants will follow the same protocol. 1. Baseline Research Session: self-report completion of demographic information, health information \[Short Form Health Survey (SF-20), Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS)\], autonomic reactivity (Body Perception Questionnaire, BPQ), anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), and adverse experiences (Adverse Traumatic Experiences Scale, ATES). 2. Begin use of SinuSonic twice per day, every day, for 5 weeks. Duration of each use is approximately 2 minutes. During these 5 weeks, participants will be asked to complete weekly forms to document SinuSonic usage and current nasal symptoms \[Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS). 3. Post-intervention Research Session: after 5 weeks of SinuSonic use, self-report completion of symptoms (PGIC, TNSS), autonomic reactivity (BPQ) and anxiety/depression (HADS).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
16
The SinuSonic is a commercially available, over-the-counter, self-applied nasal device designed to enhance physical well-being by reducing nasal congestion via simultaneous administration of acoustic vibration and gentle oscillating expiratory pressure.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Change in the Anxiety Subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
The Anxiety Subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a 7-item self-report questionnaire measuring the frequency of anxiety over the prior week. The anxiety subscale ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating higher anxiety complaints. Repeated measures ANOVA will be used to evaluate significant differences in change scores using a 0.05 significance level.
Time frame: Baseline, 5 weeks
Change in the Depression Subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
The Depression Subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a 7-item self-report questionnaire measuring the frequency of depression over the prior week. The depression subscale ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating higher depression complaints. Repeated measures ANOVA will be used to evaluate significant differences in change scores using a 0.05 significance level.
Time frame: Baseline, 5 weeks
Change in the Body Perception Questionnaire
Body Perception Questionnaire (BPQ) is a self-report questionnaire, which includes a 20-item subscale for Autonomic Nervous System Reactivity. Only the Autonomic Nervous System Reactivity subscale will be administered. Raw scores range from 0-100, with higher scores indicating greater level of symptoms associated with autonomic activity (poorer outcome). Repeated measures ANOVA will be used to evaluate significant differences in change scores using a 0.05 significance level.
Time frame: Baseline, 5 weeks
Change in the Total Nasal Symptom Score
Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS) is a 4-item self-report measure of congestion symptom severity. 0 indicates no symptoms, a score of 1 for mild symptoms that are easily tolerated, 2 for awareness of symptoms which are bothersome but tolerable and 3 is reserved for severe symptoms that are hard to tolerate and interfere with daily activity. TNSS is calculated by adding the score for each of the symptoms to a total out of 12. Repeated measures ANOVA will be used to evaluate significant differences in change scores using a 0.05 significance level.
Time frame: Baseline, 5 weeks
Change in the Patient Global Impression of Change
The Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) is a 1-item self-report measure to rate the level of change that participants have experienced. The PGIC scale ranges from 1 to 7, with 1 indicating no change and 7 signifying a substantial improvement. Repeated measures ANOVA will be used to evaluate significant differences in change scores using a 0.05 significance level.
Time frame: Week 1, Week 5
Adverse Traumatic Experiences Survey at Baseline
The Adverse Traumatic Experiences Survey (ATES) is a 30-item self-report measure with items relating to childhood adverse experiences, childhood maltreatment, other person maltreatment, life-threatening situations, sudden deaths of close ones, and personal health situations. Respondent-reported prior adverse events of maltreatment, life-threatening situations, and sudden deaths of close ones are summed to create an adversity score (range: 0-80), with higher scores indicating more adversity. Pearson correlational analysis will enable evaluation of the relationships between ATES and other Baseline outcome variables.
Time frame: Baseline
Short Form Health Survey (SF-20) at Baseline
The 20-Item Short Form Survey (SF-20) is a shortened form of the original 36-item questionnaire created for the Medical Outcomes Study. The SF-20 utilizes close-ended, Likert-type questions to address self-reported health-related quality of life within six domains: physical functioning, role functioning, social functioning, mental health, current health perceptions, and pain. Raw scores from the 20 items are transformed linearly into 0-100 scales for each of the six domains. Higher scores indicate better physical, role, and social functioning, better mental health and health perceptions, and more pain. Scores across domains will be used to generate a general health status measure. Pearson correlational analysis will enable evaluation of the relationships between SF-20 and other Baseline outcome variables.
Time frame: Baseline
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