Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Public Speaking Anxiety

NCT ID: NCT03885414

Last Updated: 2020-01-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 23 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-01-14
• Study Completion Date: 2019-09-30

Brief Summary

Virtual Reality exposure therapy (VRET) is an efficacious treatment for anxiety disorders but has yet to be implemented in regular care settings. This is arguably due to the limitations of the past generation of VR technology, which was expensive, inaccessible, cumbersome and hard to use. With the advent of consumer VR technology, VRET is now ready for implementation in regular care. This multiple-baseline trial will examine the effectiveness of VRET for public speaking anxiety (PSA) when delivered under real-world conditions at an ordinary, non-specialized mental health clinic, by clinical psychologist with only brief VRET training. Participants will either be self-referred specifically for this treatment, or come through ordinary clinical channels. Self-rated PSA will serve as primary outcome measure and will be measured three times prior to treatment (at screening and twice after a diagnostic screening telephone interview) , four times after onset, at the end of the treatment period, and three months after treatment.

Conditions

Public Speaking; Social Anxiety; Social Anxiety Disorder, Performance Only

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

OST-VRET + in-vivo transition program

One-session treatment (OST) VRET on-location with clinical psychologist (3 hours), followed by a therapist-guided, four-week online program encouraging transition to real-world, in-vivo exposure exercises.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

In-session Virtual Reality exposure therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

A series of exposure exercises (speech exercises) in front of a virtual audience, focusing on promoting inhibitory learning, with audio-feedback.

Internet-administered transition program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Four-module internet program with weekly therapist guidance, focusing on transitioning to in-vivo exposure in everyday settings.

Interventions

In-session Virtual Reality exposure therapy

A series of exposure exercises (speech exercises) in front of a virtual audience, focusing on promoting inhibitory learning, with audio-feedback.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Internet-administered transition program

Four-module internet program with weekly therapist guidance, focusing on transitioning to in-vivo exposure in everyday settings.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

Virtual reality therapy; Exposure therapy; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Internet intervention

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Have substantial public speaking anxiety (PSAS >= 60)
• Can travel to PBM clinic on one occasion and pay stipulated patient fee
• Can speak and understand sufficient Swedish
• Have stable access to the internet

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: Yes

Sponsors

PBM

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Mimerse

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Stockholm University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Per Carlbring

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Per Carlbring, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Stockholm University

Locations

Department of Psychology

Stockholm, , Sweden

Countries

Sweden

References

Lindner P, Miloff A, Fagernas S, Andersen J, Sigeman M, Andersson G, Furmark T, Carlbring P. Therapist-led and self-led one-session virtual reality exposure therapy for public speaking anxiety with consumer hardware and software: A randomized controlled trial. J Anxiety Disord. 2019 Jan;61:45-54. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.07.003. Epub 2018 Jul 24.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 30054173 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

https://www.iterapi.se/sites/vreta/

Study website (Swedish)

Other Identifiers

VRETA

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id