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Optimizing Exposure Using Occasional Aversive Imagery in Spider Fearful Individuals

NCT05424250 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 67

Last updated 2026-01-09

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The effectiveness of an optimized extinction training is investigated in spider-fearful individuals. Participants will undergo a one-session standardized extinction training, either with or without occasional metal imagination of most feared apprehension towards spiders. The effectiveness of the training is measured by symptom improvement according to subjective ratings and behavioural avoidance tests one week later.

Conditions

  • Spider Fear
  • Arachnophobia

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

occasional aversive imagination

During six of the 27 exposure trials, participants in the experimental group are asked to imagine their most feared outcome towards spiders as vividly as possible while completing the specific trial.

BEHAVIORAL

Exposure

• All participants complete an exposure training session (approx. 75 min) with seven exposure steps, which are repeated between one and five times (e.g. Step 4: directing the spider with a pen by touching its legs at least five times per repetition; this step must be repeated five times before continuing to the next step). One repetition per step is considered one trial, therefore each participant aims to complete 27 exposure trials.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Philipps University Marburg

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Christoph Benke, PhD · Philipps University Marburg

  • Christiane Pané-Farré, PhD · Philipps University Marburg

  • Dorothee Scheuermann, M.Sc. · Philipps University Marburg

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2022-06-15
Primary Completion
2023-07-31
Completion
2023-09-30

Countries

  • Germany

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 NCT05424250 on ClinicalTrials.gov