The purpose of this study is to examine the role of cognitive and behavioural factors in the experience of claustrophobia in MRI Scanner.

Materials and Methods
One hundred and thirty outpatients participating in an MRI unit completed the questionnaire before and after their scan. The specific measures of experience in the scanner included subjective anxiety, symptoms of terror, calm strategies and negative cognition (such as’ I am suffering ‘and’ I am going to be unconscious here). Other common measures used include anxiety, depression, health concerns and restrictions and fear of knees.

Results
The amount of experienced anxiety during the scan was related to the estimated amount of time spent in the physical symptoms of terror. Cognitions reported concerned the following: suffocation, harm caused by the machine and lack of perceived control. The number of strategies patients used to cope in the machine was also a related factor. Neither position in the scanner, nor head coil use and previous experience of being in the scanner was related to levels of anxiety.

Conclusion
Cognitions used here can be used to identify people unable to enter the scanner, or those most likely to become claustrophobic whilst undergoing the procedure and to further inform future brief, effective interventions.

Source : – https://openmricentre.blogspot.com/2018/07/role-of-cognition-claustrophobia-in-mri.html