Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Speech Anxiety Using Commercial Hardware and Software

NCT ID: NCT03001154

Last Updated: 2019-03-07

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 50 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2017-01-01
• Study Completion Date: 2018-06-30

Brief Summary

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) is an efficacious treatment of fear and anxiety, but because of the high financial costs and technical complexity of the past generation of VR hardware, there has been no large-scale implementation of this promising treatment. The present study will investigate whether off-the-shelf, commercial VR hardware and software can be used as stimuli material to conduct in-session exposure therapy for speech anxiety. The study will recruit n=25+25 participants from the general public suffering from substantial speech anxiety, who will be randomized to either a waiting-list, or one-session VRET with a therapist, followed by four weeks of a progressive maintenance program encouraging in-vivo exposure. The waiting-list group will then receive an Internet-delivered VRET treatment program.

Conditions

Social Phobia; Anxiety; Behavior Therapy

Study Design

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

Study Groups

One-session VRET face-to-face

One-session Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy led by therapist (face-to-face), followed by a 4-week therapist-guided Internet-administered progressive maintenance program.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Face-to-face Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

In session, systematic, hierarchical exposure to feared stimuli with therapist.

Waiting-list, then Internet-administered VRET

4-week waiting list, followed by therapist-guided, Internet-administered VRET with a 4-week progressive maintenance program.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Internet-administered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Therapist-guided, Internet-administered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy self-help program

Waiting-list

Intervention Type: OTHER

Weekly assessments of public speaking

Interventions

Face-to-face Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

In session, systematic, hierarchical exposure to feared stimuli with therapist.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Internet-administered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Therapist-guided, Internet-administered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy self-help program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Waiting-list

Weekly assessments of public speaking

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Substantial public speaking anxiety
• Have access to VR-compatible smartphone (including Internet)
• Can travel to Stockholm University for treatment on one occasion
• Can speak and understand sufficient Swedish

Exclusion Criteria

• Deficits in sight or balance impacting the VR-experience
• A severe psychiatric disorder better treated elsewhere, including current major depression, alcohol or drug abuse, bipolarity, psychosis or similar
• Active psychopharmacological treatment, unless stable for last 3 months
• Other ongoing psychological treatment

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

Sponsors

Stockholm University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Per Carlbring

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Department of Psychology

Stockholm, , Sweden

Countries

Sweden

Other Identifiers

VRetorik

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id