Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Combat

Not Applicable

• Conditions: PTSD
• Interventions: Behavioral: Prolonged Exposure; Behavioral: Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

• Registration Number: NCT03000478
• Lead Sponsor: Bar-Ilan University, Israel

Brief Summary

This non inferiority trial will compare Prolonged Exposure with Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in adult patients with combat related PTSD.

Detailed Description

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects a significant number of combat soldiers, with some studies suggesting 20% have PTSD. PTSD is related to a number of other detrimental effects, on the individual, such as mood disorders and alcohol abuse, on family members, and on society at large. Although effective treatments for PTSD exist, primarily types of cognitive behavior therapy, their uptake is very low. Studies have shown that a variety of factors act as barriers to care. These include not having the time for therapy, no therapy being locally available, and general stigma about therapy. In military populations, this stigma includes worries about the attitudes of unit members and commanding officers. As a result, many combat veterans do not seek therapy. Recently, it has been suggested that providing therapy in non-conventional settings might overcome some of these barriers. Studies over the last decade have shown that using Virtual Reality is a potential option. Virtual reality is a computer based environment that allows the therapist complete control over its multimedia components. VR is easily adaptable to exposure based treatments, where patients gradually come into contact with feared situations. VR for PTSD following combat, terror and motor vehicle accidents have all shown to be effective treatments. The studies so far are few, involve a small number of patients, and have often not adhered to gold standards of controlled trials. In addition, VR for combat in Israel has never been developed or tested.

The current study is a randomized controlled trial, that will compare traditional face-to-face treatment with Virtual Reality, for combat related PTSD. Blind assessors will examine levels of PTSD and other disorders before treatment, immediately after treatment, and at 6 month follow up.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2016-12
• Study First Submitted: 2016-12-20
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-12-20
• Study First Posted: 2016-12-22
• Status Verified: 2018-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2018-02-15
• Last Update Posted: 2018-02-19
• Primary Completion: 2018-12
• Study Completion: 2019-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 40

Inclusion Criteria

• combat related PTSD; Hebrew first language

Exclusion Criteria

• suicidality, other psychiatric diagnosis requiring treatment, concurrent treatment,

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Prolonged Exposure	Prolonged Exposure	12 sessions of PE as per protocol
VRET	Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy	12 sessions of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
PTSD symptoms	6 months post treatment	PTSD as measured by the CAPS

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Bar Ilan University; 🇮🇱 Ramat Gan, Israel