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

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Behavior Therapy; Anxiety; Social Phobia
• Interventions: Behavioral: Face-to-face Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy; Behavioral: Internet-administered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy; Other: Waiting-list

• Registration Number: NCT03001154
• Lead Sponsor: Stockholm University

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.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2016-12-20
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-12-20
• Study First Posted: 2016-12-22
• Study Start: 2017-01-01
• Primary Completion: 2017-05
• Study Completion: 2018-06
• Status Verified: 2019-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-03-06
• Last Update Posted: 2019-03-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 50

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

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Waiting-list, then Internet-administered VRET	Waiting-list	4-week waiting list, followed by therapist-guided, Internet-administered VRET with a 4-week progressive maintenance program.
One-session VRET face-to-face	Face-to-face Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy	One-session Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy led by therapist (face-to-face), followed by a 4-week therapist-guided Internet-administered progressive maintenance program.
Waiting-list, then Internet-administered VRET	Internet-administered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy	4-week waiting list, followed by therapist-guided, Internet-administered VRET with a 4-week progressive maintenance program.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Public Speaking Anxiety Scale	Change from baseline: Week 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 21	Self-rating of public speaking anxiety

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item	Change from baseline: Week 0, 5 and 21	Self-rating of depressive symptoms
Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale Self-Report	Change from baseline: Week 0, 5 and 21	Self-rating of general social anxiety
Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale	Change from baseline: Week 0, 5 and 21	Self-rating of fear of negative evaluation
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item	Change from baseline: Week 0, 5 and 21	Self-rating of general anxiety symptoms
Brunnsviken Brief Quality of life scale	Change from baseline: Week 0, 5 and 21	Self-rating of quality of life

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of Psychology; 🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden