Virtual Reality Alcohol Avoidance Training

Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Alcohol Use Disorder

Treatments: Other: Virtual reality approach avoidance training; Other: Computer-based approach avoidance training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04283305

VR_AAT

Details and patient eligibility

About

The approach-avoidance training program (AATP) has shown preliminary promise as an add-on to standard treatment for alcohol dependence. However, knowledge is lacking as to whether the effectiveness of AATP can be enhanced further when performed in a typical drinking situation. The main aim of this study is to investigate whether approach-avoidance training implemented in a virtual reality bar environment is superior to the classical joystick PC-version of the AATP.

Full description

The study will be implemented as a randomized controlled trial. A total of 135 consecutively enrolled alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients, recruited from alcohol inpatient clinics in Germany, Poland and Denmark, will be randomized into one of three groups at the start of standard alcohol treatment: group A) stimuli-relevant AATP as usual; group B) stimuli-relevant ATTP in virtual reality, and group C) treatment as usual (TAU; control group). Treatment outcomes will be assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment and 3-month follow-up. Generalized mixed-models will be applied to compare the trajectories of the groups over time on drinking, craving and impulsiveness outcomes.

Enrollment: 135 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 55 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• signed written informed consent
• meeting the diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder
• fluent in language of the participating country (German, Polish or Danish)
• completion of detoxification (if needed)
• enrolled in standard treatment within two weeks

Exclusion criteria

• any sensory or motor deficits complicating the provision of the AAT (e.g. color-blindness, fine or gross motor deficits in upper extremities)
• meeting diagnostic criteria for other substance use disorders
• severe psychiatric or neurological illness (e.g. psychotic disorders, mental retardation, dementia) or terminal somatic illness

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

135 participants in 3 patient groups

Virtual reality approach avoidance training

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive six sessions (three sessions per week for two weeks; session duration = 30 mins) of approach-avoidance training in the virtual reality. Alcoholic beverages are pushed away with a controller and soft-drinks will be pulled towards oneself. Training will begin approximately three weeks before discharge from the inpatient clinics to measure the add-on effect and to ensure that the add-on treatment does not extend the treatment period.

Treatment:

Other: Virtual reality approach avoidance training

Computer-based approach avoidance training

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive six sessions (three sessions per week for two weeks; session duration = 30 mins) of approach-avoidance training on the computer. Alcoholic beverages are pushed away with a joystick and soft-drinks will be pulled towards oneself. Training will begin approximately three weeks before discharge from the inpatient clinics to measure the add-on effect and to ensure that the add-on treatment does not extend the treatment period.

Treatment:

Other: Computer-based approach avoidance training

Treatment as usual

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants will receive treatment as usual on the wards. For ethical reasons, participants in this condition will get the offer to undertake the already scientifically validated computer-based approach avoidance training after their completion of the study.