Enhancing Prospective Thinking in Early Recovery

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Stimulant Use; Substance Use Disorders
• Interventions: Device: Virtual Reality

• Registration Number: NCT05835921
• Lead Sponsor: Indiana University

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to use a novel virtual reality intervention to test for efficacy in reducing stimulant use and increasing abstinence, with concomitant increases in future self-identification, future time perspective, and delay-of-reward, in early recovering stimulant use disorder (StUD) persons. The main question\[s\] this trial aims to answer are:

* Will the Virtual Reality (VR) intervention decrease the number of stimulant use days?

* Will the VR intervention produce longer abstinence periods during follow-up visits?

* Will the VR intervention increase stimulant drug abstinence rates?

* Will the VR intervention increase future self-identification?

* Will the VR intervention increase self-reported future time perspective?

* Will the VR intervention increase preference for delayed rewards in a laboratory delay discounting task on the study day?

* Will the VR intervention produce gains in the behavioral effects of future self-identification, future time perspective, and delayed rewards at the 30-day and 6-month follow-ups?

Researchers will compare the experimental and control groups to see if there are differences in the results for the questions outlined above.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2023-03-28
• Study First Submitted: 2023-04-19
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-04-19
• Study First Posted: 2023-04-28
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-27
• Last Update Posted: 2025-04-01
• Primary Completion: 2026-05-01
• Study Completion: 2026-05-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 88

Inclusion Criteria

• Abstinence between ≥14 days and ≤1 year
• At least 18 years old
• Verbal endorsement of commitment to recovery
• Outpatient
• Psychotropic drugs for SUD-comorbidity
• Drug/alcohol abstinence ≥ 24 hours at the time of the study day visit
• English comprehension

Exclusion Criteria

• Unstable medical disorders
• Less than 18 years old
• Habitual drug use
• Mu-opioid drugs
• Smell/taste disorders
• Unstable psychiatric conditions
• Extravagant/elaborate face tattoos

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Virtual Reality	Virtual Reality	Participants in this arm will receive the following interventions: Virtual Reality Park Virtual Reality Avatar
Treatment As Usual	Virtual Reality	Participants in this arm will receive the following interventions: Virtual Reality Park

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Reduced Use of Drug Using Days	Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit.	The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will reduce drug using days.
Increased Length of Abstinence	Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit.	The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will increase the length of abstinence periods.
Increased (overall) Abstinence	Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit.	The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will increase abstinence.
Future Self-identification	Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit.	The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will increase future self-identification.
Delayed Reward Preference	Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit.	The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will increase preference for delayed rewards.
Future Time Perspective	Study Day Visit; 30-day Follow-up Visit; 6-month Follow-up Visit.	The Virtual Reality Avatar experience will increase future time perspective.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Indiana University School of Medicine - Goodman Hall; 🇺🇸 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States