Treatment of aggression in Swedish prisoners with the support of virtual reality

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Treatment of aggression in violent offenders; Mental and Behavioural Disorders

• Registration Number: ISRCTN14916410
• Lead Sponsor: Swedish Prison and Probation Services

Brief Summary

2023 Results article in https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38034926/ (added 05/12/2023)

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Completion: 2022-04-19
• Study Start: 2022-12-15
• Last Update Posted: 19 December 2023

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 14

Inclusion Criteria

Offenders who are:
1. Sentenced to prison at the sites for the study
2. Have been assessed with an increased risk of recidivism in violent crimes (medium to high risk)
3. Indications of a need for treatment of aggression problems (identified through screening for study inclusion)

Exclusion Criteria

1. Inability to understand and provide informed consent
2. Major deficits in understanding the Swedish language preventing active participation
3. Epilepsy
4. Indications of acute psychotic state
5. Intellectual disabilities (IQ <70)
6. Suicide risk
7. Current and serious security risks that prevent participation in a safe way
8. Less than 10 weeks remaining time at the prison

The criteria are set for the study to be conducted in a safe way for offenders, staff, and researchers. For those offenders who are excluded from participation, the violence prevention interventions offered in their regular care will continue as usual.

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
1. Aggression is measured using Aggression Questionnaire-Revised Swedish Version (AQ-R): self-assessment of aggression and hostile behavior, at pre-, (T1), post-, (T2) and follow-up (T3)<br>2. Emotion dysregulation is measured using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS): self-assessment of emotion recognition and emotion regulation strategies, at pre-, (T1), post-, (T2) and follow-up (T3)<br>3. Anger is measured using State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2-S (STAXI-2S): self-assessment of aggression, both current and in habitual state, at pre-, (T1), post-, (T2) and follow-up (T3)<br><br>T1: Before start of VRAPT; T2:Directly after VRAPT; T3: 3 months follow up