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Virtual Reality Immersive Method for Spider (Phobia) Exposure Therapy (VIMSE)

NCT02533310 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 100

Last updated 2021-02-17

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy as a treatment for specific phobia (spiders). A gamified virtual reality simulation of one-session therapy (VR-OST) will be compared to the gold-standard treatment in the form of traditional one-session phobia treatment (OST) using in-vivo stimuli. This study was powered to detect a non-inferiority margin of a 2-point difference between groups.

Conditions

  • Phobia, Specific

Interventions

OTHER

OST treatment with in-vivo spiders

Subjects are exposed to phobic stimuli with the aid of a trained psychotherapist during a session of maximum 3 hrs duration. The intensity of exposure is increased in four sequential steps, 1. learning to catch a spider with a glass and paper, 2. touching a spider, 3. letting a spider walk on your hand, 4. letting a spider walk on your body. These stages repeat with increasingly larger spiders. The goal of therapy is not absolute symptom reduction but sufficient reduction to allow the individual to expose themselves in everyday situations.

OTHER

VR-OST treatment with virtual spiders

The VR-OST treatment introduces a virtual gamified version of OST treatment using a modern virtual reality headset. Individuals advance themselves through increasing levels of exposure intensity with the assistance of an automated virtual therapist.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Stockholm University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Per Carlbring, PhD · Stockholm University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2015-08-01
Primary Completion
2018-12-31
Completion
2019-04-30

Countries

  • Sweden

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02533310 on ClinicalTrials.gov