Understanding Reactions to Emotional Material in the Media During COVID-19

NCT ID: NCT04608097

Last Updated: 2021-04-30

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 74 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-10-28
• Study Completion Date: 2021-03-12

Brief Summary

This feasibility study aims to adapt a protocol usually run in the laboratory in the Psychology Department for healthy participants (including the trauma film paradigm (James et al., 2016) and a simple cognitive task intervention) to remote (online) delivery. The motivation for this was restrictions to running in person laboratory experiments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants will view film footage with COVID-19 related and potentially traumatic content (e.g. of seriously ill or dying patients in hospitals). Following film viewing, participants will be randomly allocated to either the experimental condition (simple cognitive task intervention, i.e. a memory cue followed by playing the computer game "Tetris" with mental rotation instructions) or the control condition (attention placebo, i.e., a memory cue followed by listening to a podcast for a similar duration). Any intrusive memories induced by the film (analogue trauma) will be monitored in a daily diary. It is predicted that the film (analogue trauma) will generate intrusive memories. If intrusive memories are generated, then it is predicted that participants in the experimental condition will report fewer intrusive memories related to the film (analogue trauma) during the following week than participants in the control condition.

The development of this paradigm may inform the future development of a simple technique to prevent intrusive memories e.g. after repeated media consumption related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Detailed Description

This is a between-groups experimental study with healthy participants informed by prior laboratory work. It includes two sessions and a seven-day daily diary in between sessions. In this feasibility study, for the first time all study procedures will be delivered remotely rather than in a laboratory because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary outcome is the number of intrusive memories related to the film (analogue trauma) recorded in a daily electronic diary during the following week (week 1).

The first aim is to investigate if the film (analogue trauma) will generate intrusive memories. The second aim is, if intrusive memories are generated, to investigate if participants in the experimental condition will report fewer intrusive memories of the film (analogue trauma) than participants in the control condition.

Conditions

Healthy Participants; Intrusive Memories

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Simple cognitive task intervention

A memory cue followed by playing the computer game "Tetris" (on own smartphone) with mental rotation instructions for ca. 12 minutes.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Simple cognitive task intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

A memory cue followed by playing the computer game "Tetris" (on own smartphone) with mental rotation instructions for ca. 12 minutes.

Attention placebo

A memory cue followed by listening to a podcast (on own smartphone) for ca. 12 minutes.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Attention Placebo

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

A memory cue followed by listening to a podcast (on own smartphone) for ca. 12 minutes.

Interventions

Simple cognitive task intervention

A memory cue followed by playing the computer game "Tetris" (on own smartphone) with mental rotation instructions for ca. 12 minutes.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Attention Placebo

A memory cue followed by listening to a podcast (on own smartphone) for ca. 12 minutes.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 18-65
• Fluent in spoken and written Swedish
• Willing to watch a video containing emotional, distressing footage
• Have access to an internet enabled smartphone/computer

Exclusion Criteria

• Have participated in a study in which similar stimuli were used
• Currently receiving treatment for a mental health problem (e.g. depression, anxiety, ADHD, addiction), including psychological therapy, counselling or medication
• Neurological illness (e.g., epilepsy)
• Planning to undertake a stress-inducing examination (e.g. university examination or driving test) during the week of study participation.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Uppsala University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Emily Holmes

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Emily Holmes, Prof

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Uppsala University

Locations

Uppsala University

Uppsala, , Sweden

Countries

Sweden

References

James EL, Lau-Zhu A, Clark IA, Visser RM, Hagenaars MA, Holmes EA. The trauma film paradigm as an experimental psychopathology model of psychological trauma: intrusive memories and beyond. Clin Psychol Rev. 2016 Jul;47:106-42. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2016.04.010. Epub 2016 Apr 21.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 27289421 (View on PubMed)

Singh L, Garate B, Hoppe JM, Holmes EA. Qualitative analysis of hotspots and intrusive memories after viewing an aversive film highlights their sensory and spatial features. Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 29;12(1):7049. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-10579-0.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 35487945 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

2020-03991

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id