NCT02533310

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

Single-session Gamified Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Spider Phobia vs. Traditional Exposure Therapy: a Randomized Controlled Non-inferiority Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 100 (actual)
• Sponsor: Stockholm University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

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

Type	Name	Description
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.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-08-01
• Primary completion: 2018-12-01
• Completion: 2019-04-30
• First posted: 2015-08-26
• Last updated: 2021-02-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Sweden