ACT and Virtual Reality for Public Speaking Fear

European University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Public Speaking Fear

Treatments: Behavioral: Virtual Reality; Behavioral: ACT; Behavioral: In vivo exposure:

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05573620

CIPI/19/052

Details and patient eligibility

About

Investigation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for the psychological treatment of public speaking fear. Two ACT-based treatment delivery modalities (in vivo exposure vs. virtual reality) were compared.

Full description

After being informed about the study, all patients giving written informed consent will be assessed to determine eligibility for study entry.

The clinical trial will include a control group (waiting list).

Patients who meet eligibility requirements will be assigned to a waiting list, in vivo exposure and Virtual Reality.

Psychological intervention consisted in a 5-session individual face-to-face delivered ACT-based treatment.

The participants will be assessed through self-report instruments and observational measurements before and after treatment and at 3 months follow-up.

Enrollment: 37 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Student at European University of Madrid, Spain
• Significant social anxiety (LSAS Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale)
• Subjective fear intensity and interference > 5/10

Exclusion criteria

• Alcohol or drugs abuse
• Psychotropic drug consume
• Following psychological/psychiatric treatment
• Serious mental disorder

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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37 participants in 3 patient groups

ACT+In vivo exposure

Experimental group

Description:

5 individual weekly sessions which included ACT methods + in vivo exposure

Treatment:

Behavioral: In vivo exposure:

Behavioral: ACT

ACT+Virtual reality

Experimental group

Description:

5 individual weekly sessions which included ACT methods + virtual reality

Treatment:

Behavioral: Virtual Reality

Behavioral: ACT

Waiting list

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants assigned to Waiting List arm waited for 5 weeks before receiving treatment (i.e., after completing the measures they continued in the study and then were randomly assigned to ACT+in vivo exposure or ACT+virtual reality arms).