Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Versus No Treatment for Acrophobia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 43
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- The IAPT phobia scale-avoidance
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) as a treatment for specific phobia (acrophobia). The study will randomly assign 42 participants with acrophobia to one of two conditions: a) the experimental condition (consisting of 3 sessions of virtual reality exposure) or b) a control condition. Both groups will receive short information session about general principles of exposure therapy before the start of the study. After the end of the study, the waitlist group will be invited to attend the short version (one or two-sessions) of the VRET. Both groups will receive a final follow-up questionnaires 2 months after the last session.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 64 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •individual meeting ICD-10 criteria for diagnosis of specific phobia
- •fluent in Czech
Exclusion Criteria
- •currently receiving psychological treatment for acrophobia
- •psychotropic medication (unless on stable dosage for the previous 1 month and stabilized for the duration of the study)
- •another severe mental disorder, such as bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
- •contradictions to using a virtual reality (e.g., epilepsy, balance problems)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
The IAPT phobia scale-avoidance
Time Frame: 2-months Post-Treatment (Controlling for Immediate Post-Treatment Score)
The IAPT phobia scale-avoidance is a single item from the outcome measures administered by the UK National Health Service's IAPT programme (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies). The patient is asked to rate his/her avoidance of heights in daily situations on a scale from 0 (would not avoid it) to 8 (always avoid it).
Visual Height Intolerance Severity Scale (vHISS)
Time Frame: 2-months Post-Treatment (Controlling for Immediate Post-Treatment Score)
The vHISS is a 8-item scale assessing the severity of visual height intolerance with additional questions for acrophobia.Raw score range from 0 to 13, where 0 = least severely affected and 13 = most severely affected.
Severity Measure for Specific Phobia-Adult (SMSP-A)
Time Frame: 2-months Post-Treatment (Controlling for Immediate Post-Treatment Score)
SMSP-A is a 10-item scale that assesses the severity of specific phobias in individuals aged 18 and older over the past 7 days. Items are scored on a 5-point Likert scale with item scores of 1-4 respectively indicating mild, moderate, severe and extreme severity of specific phobia related distress.
Secondary Outcomes
- Six-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6)(Immediately Post-Sessions)
- Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS)(Through study completion, an average of 1 months. During In-Sessions: week 1-3 (reported repeatedly during each session in response to presented exposure situations).)
- Anxiety Hierarchy(Immediately Post-Treatment (Controlling for Baseline Score))
Investigators
Iveta Fajnerová
senior researcher
National Institute of Mental Health, Czech Republic