Trial Outcomes & Findings for Targeting Reconsolidation to Prevent Return of Fear (NCT NCT01623830)

NCT ID: NCT01623830

Last Updated: 2017-02-02

Results Overview

a 33-item scale measuring intensity of FOF. Items are rated on a 9-point scale ranging from 0 ( not at all) to 8 ( very severely disturbing). The possible range of scores is 0-264 with higher total scores indicating greater fear of flying intensity.Test-retest reliability for 15 WL patients was .92, and it has been sensitive to change with treatment.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

NA

Target enrollment

89 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

Post treatment (9 weeks)

Results posted on

2017-02-02

Participant Flow

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Reactivation + VRE
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) for the fear of flying (FOF) preceded by a reminder of the feared stimulus (a virtual reality clip of a virtual airplane taxiing and taking off) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy: Treatment will consist of 8 weekly sessions. Session 1: information gathering, treatment procedures and rationale. Session 2: Cognitive restructuring. Session 3: Breathing retraining and thought stopping. Session 4: Review cognitive restructuring and hyperventilation exposure. Sessions 5-8 Fear of flying exposure in the Virtual environment.
Neutral Cue + VRE
VRE for the FOF preceded by a neutral cue (a virtual reality clip of a virtual living room) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy: Treatment will consist of 8 weekly sessions. Session 1: information gathering, treatment procedures and rationale. Session 2: Cognitive restructuring. Session 3: Breathing retraining and thought stopping. Session 4: Review cognitive restructuring and hyperventilation exposure. Sessions 5-8 Fear of flying exposure in the Virtual environment.
Overall Study
STARTED
45
44
Overall Study
COMPLETED
38
35
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
7
9

Reasons for withdrawal

Reasons for withdrawal
Measure
Reactivation + VRE
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) for the fear of flying (FOF) preceded by a reminder of the feared stimulus (a virtual reality clip of a virtual airplane taxiing and taking off) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy: Treatment will consist of 8 weekly sessions. Session 1: information gathering, treatment procedures and rationale. Session 2: Cognitive restructuring. Session 3: Breathing retraining and thought stopping. Session 4: Review cognitive restructuring and hyperventilation exposure. Sessions 5-8 Fear of flying exposure in the Virtual environment.
Neutral Cue + VRE
VRE for the FOF preceded by a neutral cue (a virtual reality clip of a virtual living room) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy: Treatment will consist of 8 weekly sessions. Session 1: information gathering, treatment procedures and rationale. Session 2: Cognitive restructuring. Session 3: Breathing retraining and thought stopping. Session 4: Review cognitive restructuring and hyperventilation exposure. Sessions 5-8 Fear of flying exposure in the Virtual environment.
Overall Study
Withdrawal by Subject
6
7
Overall Study
Exclusion from Study
1
2

Baseline Characteristics

Targeting Reconsolidation to Prevent Return of Fear

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Reactivation + VRE
n=45 Participants
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) for the fear of flying (FOF) preceded by a reminder of the feared stimulus (a virtual reality clip of a virtual airplane taxiing and taking off) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
Neutral Cue + VRE
n=44 Participants
VRE for the FOF preceded by a neutral cue (a virtual reality clip of a virtual living room) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
Total
n=89 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
n=39 Participants
0 Participants
n=41 Participants
0 Participants
n=35 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
45 Participants
n=39 Participants
44 Participants
n=41 Participants
89 Participants
n=35 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants
n=39 Participants
0 Participants
n=41 Participants
0 Participants
n=35 Participants
Gender
Female
37 Participants
n=39 Participants
34 Participants
n=41 Participants
71 Participants
n=35 Participants
Gender
Male
8 Participants
n=39 Participants
10 Participants
n=41 Participants
18 Participants
n=35 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
45 participants
n=39 Participants
44 participants
n=41 Participants
89 participants
n=35 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Post treatment (9 weeks)

a 33-item scale measuring intensity of FOF. Items are rated on a 9-point scale ranging from 0 ( not at all) to 8 ( very severely disturbing). The possible range of scores is 0-264 with higher total scores indicating greater fear of flying intensity.Test-retest reliability for 15 WL patients was .92, and it has been sensitive to change with treatment.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Reactivation + VRE
n=38 Participants
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) for the fear of flying (FOF) preceded by a reminder of the feared stimulus (a virtual reality clip of a virtual airplane taxiing and taking off) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
Neutral Cue + VRE
n=35 Participants
VRE for the FOF preceded by a neutral cue (a virtual reality clip of a virtual living room) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
Fear of Flying Inventory (FFI)
65.55 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 49.88
76.57 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 47.46

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: post treatment (9 weeks)

assesses history of FOF, previous treatment, and attitudes toward flying. It includes a 36-item questionnaire rating the level of fear on an 11-point scale ranging from 0 to10 in different flying situations. The possible range of scores is 0 to 360 with higher scores indicating greater fear associated with flying. Test-retest reliability was .92, and split-half reliability was .99.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Reactivation + VRE
n=38 Participants
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) for the fear of flying (FOF) preceded by a reminder of the feared stimulus (a virtual reality clip of a virtual airplane taxiing and taking off) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
Neutral Cue + VRE
n=35 Participants
VRE for the FOF preceded by a neutral cue (a virtual reality clip of a virtual living room) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
The Questionnaire on Attitudes Toward Flying (QAF)
126.29 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 85.32
123.46 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 66.87

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: post-treatment (9 weeks)

a 21-item measure of cognitive and vegetative symptoms of depression is widely used in a variety of populations, including trauma victims and is sensitive to treatment effects on depression. The possible range for scores is 0-63 with higher scores suggesting more severe symptoms of depression.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Reactivation + VRE
n=38 Participants
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) for the fear of flying (FOF) preceded by a reminder of the feared stimulus (a virtual reality clip of a virtual airplane taxiing and taking off) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
Neutral Cue + VRE
n=35 Participants
VRE for the FOF preceded by a neutral cue (a virtual reality clip of a virtual living room) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
4.26 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 5.39
3.6 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 3.74

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: post-treatment (9 weeks)

The STAI-State is a 20-item self report scale employing a Likert scale format with 4 responses per item (1-4). The possible range of scores is from 20-80, and higher scores indicate greater levels of anxiety.Ten of the STAI items measure feelings of stress and anxiety, while the remaining ten items measure feelings of relaxation.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Reactivation + VRE
n=38 Participants
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) for the fear of flying (FOF) preceded by a reminder of the feared stimulus (a virtual reality clip of a virtual airplane taxiing and taking off) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
Neutral Cue + VRE
n=35 Participants
VRE for the FOF preceded by a neutral cue (a virtual reality clip of a virtual living room) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
State Trait Anxiety Inventory- State (STAI-State)
45.97 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 5.05
46.29 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 5.40

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: post-treatment (9 weeks)

The STAI-Trait is a 20-item self report scale employing a Likert scale format with 4 responses per item (1-4). The possible range of scores is from 20-80, and higher scores indicate greater levels of anxiety. Ten of the STAI items measure feelings of stress and anxiety, while the remaining ten items measure feelings of relaxation.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Reactivation + VRE
n=38 Participants
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) for the fear of flying (FOF) preceded by a reminder of the feared stimulus (a virtual reality clip of a virtual airplane taxiing and taking off) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
Neutral Cue + VRE
n=35 Participants
VRE for the FOF preceded by a neutral cue (a virtual reality clip of a virtual living room) presented in the head mounted display 10 minutes prior to all VR exposure therapy sessions.
State Trait Anxiety Inventory- Trait (STAI-Trait)
44.83 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 4.36
45.81 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 4.18

Adverse Events

Reactivation + VRE

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Neutral Cue + VRE

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Additional Information

Barbara Rothbaum

Emory University

Phone: 404-712-8866

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place