Use of Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Flying Phobia

NCT ID: NCT01442805

Last Updated: 2017-03-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 36 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2008-10-31
• Study Completion Date: 2012-03-31

Brief Summary

The project aims to explore the potential of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) for the treatment of the fear of driving, the fear of flying and the fear of public speaking.

The study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to compare the efficiency of cognitive behavioural therapy with exposures in imagination to behavioural therapy with exposures in virtual reality. Anxiety levels are measured using specific questionnaires, SUD ratings and physiological measures (heart rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, breathing frequency, heart rate variability).

Hypothesis: Treatments with exposures in virtual reality are more efficient than treatments with exposures in imagination.

Detailed Description

In the past, several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy in the treatment of flying phobia and driving phobia. As an objective tool, psychophysiological recordings help demonstrate the decrease of physiological aspects of anxiety reactions (heart rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, heart rate variability and breathing pattern).

The aim of the present study is to examine the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy with exposures in imagination to behavioural therapy with exposures in virtual reality in the treatment of patients with flying phobia. Thirty patients will be randomized into either an imagination exposure group or a virtual reality exposure group after having received four sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy for coping with panic attacks. Respective exposure therapies consist in four sessions.

Anxiety levels will be measured before and after the cognitive behavioural therapy for coping with panic attacks as well as before and after the exposure therapy sessions and after 3 months using specific questionnaires, SUD ratings and psychophysiological measures (heart rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, breathing frequency and heart rate variability). The exposure stimuli will consist in a 10min movie of a flight with an insight-cabin viewing perspective.

The investigators hypothesize that virtual reality exposure therapies will be more effective than imagination exposure therapy in terms of decrease of anxiety self-ratings and psychophysiological fear reactions.

Conditions

Flying Phobia

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

RV

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Virtual Reality Exposures

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants are exposed to the feared situation (flying) through the virtual reality technology

IMAGO

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Exposure Therapy through Imagination

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Exposure Therapy through Imagination

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants are exposed to the feared situation (flying) through exposure technique of imagination.

Interventions

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Participants are exposed to the feared situation (flying) through the virtual reality technology

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Exposure Therapy through Imagination

Participants are exposed to the feared situation (flying) through exposure technique of imagination.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Confirmed diagnosis of a specific phobia (DSM-IV-TR)

Exclusion Criteria

• Pregnant women
• Subjects with severe pulmonary / cardiovascular problems; Asthma, epilepsy, vertigo
• Drug abuse
• Subjects under on-stabilized anti-depressant treatment
• Psychotic subjects
• Subjects with suicidal ideas
• Subjects presenting insufficient intellectual capabilities

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier du Luxembourg

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Luxembourg Institute of Health

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Charles Pull, Prof.Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Centre de Recherche Public de la Santé

Locations

Centre de Recherche Public de la Santé

Strassen, , Luxembourg

Countries

Luxembourg

Other Identifiers

20080102

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id