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

Stockholm University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Phobia, Specific

Treatments: Other: OST treatment with in-vivo spiders; Other: VR-OST treatment with virtual spiders

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02533310

VIMSE

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Enrollment: 100 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Score of 10 or less in Behavioral Approach Test
• Individual meeting DSM-5 criteria according to interview for primary diagnosis of specific phobia, spider
• Swedish residency
• Fluent in Swedish

Exclusion criteria

• Ongoing psychotherapy
• Ongoing psychotropic medication (unless stabilized for three months)
• Indication of suicidal ideation, as assessed by item 9 of the PHQ-9
• Meets criteria for alcohol or substance use disorder
• Meets criteria for serious mental disorder, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or psychosis
• Balance and/or eyesight problems (such as lack of stereoscopic vision) that could interfere with VR treatment

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

100 participants in 2 patient groups

OST treatment with in-vivo spiders

Experimental group

Description:

OST consists of increasingly intense interactions with an in-vivo phobic stimuli and human therapist non-phobic behavior modelling.

Treatment:

Other: OST treatment with in-vivo spiders

VR-OST treatment with virtual spiders

Experimental group

Description:

VR-OST consists of simulated OST treatment without the use of live spiders and with the support of a virtual therapist.

Treatment:

Other: VR-OST treatment with virtual spiders