Development and evaluation of a virtual exposure therapy in a driving simulator for patients with driving phobia - A pilot study

Not Applicable

• Conditions: driving phobia after traffic accident or another critical event in traffic; F40.2; F43.1; F43.2; Specific (isolated) phobias; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Adjustment disorders

• Registration Number: DRKS00008927
• Lead Sponsor: Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung (DGUV)

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2015-11-02
• Study Completion: 2017-06-02
• Last Update Posted: 19 August 2024

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Complete
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 14

Inclusion Criteria

•car drivers aged with severe symptoms of fear and avoidance of driving a car (completely or related to specific driving situations)
•since at least four weeks
•triggered by a traffic accident or another critical event in traffic
•valid driving license and regular driving experience prior to the triggering event
•diagnoses: adjustment disorder, specific (isolated) phobia or posttraumatic stress disorder
•no prior exposure therapy in vivo (exceptions: mere exposure to sitting in a car, cancelled exposure)
•no or stable therapy with psychoactive drugs since at least four weeks

Exclusion Criteria

•alcohol/drug addiction
•triggering event happened under the influence of alcohol/drugs
•suicidality
•psychosis and other premorbid mental disorders and comorbidities such as coronary heart disease and epilepsy as well as severe cognitive impairment and other findings rated to be a contraindication to an exposure therapy during the investigation at the Medical Study Center Würzburg
•for females only: positive pregnancy test.

Study & Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Avoidance behavior during the driving test in real traffic. The primary criterion is if the patients are able to master at least one driving task/situation in the driving test with a driving instructor, which they had rated before as not being manageable (or only with very strong anxiety). The decision for the success of the therapy is made by means of the rating of the driving instructor and of a traffic psychologist regarding the avoidance behavior (half-structured observation form).