Virtual Reality Exposure for Public Speaking Anxiety

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Public Speaking Anxiety
• Interventions: Behavioral: Exposure in virtual reality and text based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for public speaking anxiety

• Registration Number: NCT06214039
• Lead Sponsor: Vilnius University

Brief Summary

This study aims to examine the efficacy of exposure using virtual reality (VR) for public speaking anxiety in young adults in two treatment arms: a one-session VR exposure therapy with a 4-week online transition intervention versus a three-session VR exposure therapy with a 4-week online transition intervention. Previous studies have demonstrated that one-session therapy (OST) is comparable to prolonged exposure-based therapies in terms of effectively reducing public speaking anxiety. Moreover, VR offers many benefits compared to in-person exposure, namely the ability to produce anxiety-evoking stimuli without having to leave the therapist's room. However, OST VR exposure has not been directly compared to prolonged VR exposure and not for public speaking anxiety.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2023-11
• Study First Submitted: 2023-12-18
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-01-09
• Study First Posted: 2024-01-19
• Study Start: 2024-02-14
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-05-23
• Last Update Posted: 2024-05-24
• Primary Completion: 2025-05
• Study Completion: 2026-05

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 80

Inclusion Criteria

• aged 18-30 and studying in higher education;
• experiencing a significant level of public speaking anxiety (60+ on PSAS);
• able to use a computer and have access to the internet for the duration of the study;
• able to understand, write and speak in Lithuanian;
• available to participate in one or three in-person intervention sessions and can devote the time to participate in a 4-week online program following the intervention sessions.

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Exclusion Criteria

• a history of seizures or a history of epilepsy;
• other significant medical conditions that would prevent them from participating in the program;
• high levels of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 rating of 15 and above and mentions of suicidal ideation) or other significant psychiatric conditions that would interfere with participation in the program;
• a tendency to have extreme seasickness reactions or a history of adverse physical reactions to virtual reality experiences or difficulty with or lack of stereoscopic vision;
• current involvement in other psychological interventions such as psychological counseling or psychotherapy;
• use of psychoactive drugs, unless stable for three months;
• current participation in other programs aimed at reducing public speaking anxiety.

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
One session therapy - divided into 3	Exposure in virtual reality and text based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for public speaking anxiety	Three session exposure therapy followed by 4 weeks of internet-delivered self-help with therapist support on demand
One session therapy	Exposure in virtual reality and text based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for public speaking anxiety	One session exposure therapy followed by 4 weeks of internet-delivered self-help with therapist support on demand

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Public Speaking Anxiety Scale (PSAS), (Bartholomay & Houlihan, 2016).	Pre-treatment, mid-treatment, immediately after the intervention, 3 and 12 months post-treatment	Canonical total score will be used. Measure is self-rated, online. The scale consists of 17 self-report statements measured on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 "not at all", to 5 "extremely". A higher score indicates higher levels of experienced public speaking anxiety.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Patient health questionnaire - 9 (PHQ-9), (Spitzer et al., 1999)	Pre-treatment, mid-treatment, immediately after the intervention, 3 and 12 months post-treatment	Canonical total score will be used. Measure is self-rated, online. PHQ-9 consists of 9 items that are rated depending on how often the symptoms were bothersome using a 4-point scale, ranging from 0 "not at all" to 3 "nearly every day". The ratings are summed for the total score and higher scores indicates more severe depression symtpoms.
Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE), (Leary, 1983)	Pre-treatment, mid-treatment, immediately after the intervention, 3 and 12 months post-treatment	Canonical total score will be used. Measure is self-rated, online. The BFNE is a 12-item, 5-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 ""not at all" to 5 "extremely". Higher scores indicate higher fear.
Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ)	Pre-treatment, mid-treatment, immediately after the intervention, 3 and 12 months post-treatment	Canonical total score will be used. Measure is self-rated, online. Each of the 14 items is rated on a 7-point Likert scale and the score is calculated by summing the ratings for each item.
Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale - Self-Report (LSAS-SR), (Liebowitz, 2003; Rytwinski et al., 2009)	Pre-treatment, mid-treatment, immediately after the intervention, 3 and 12 months post-treatment	Canonical total score will be used. Measure is self-rated, online. Items are rated using 4-point Likert scales ranging from 0 to 3. A higher score indicates more severe symptoms.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Vilnius University; 🇱🇹 Vilnius, Lithuania