Use of Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Flying Phobia

Etude contrôlée Des Effets de la réalité Virtuelle Sur Les symptômes et Les paramètres Physiologiques de Certaines Phobies spécifiques

The project aims to explore the potential of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) for the treatment of the fear of driving, the fear of flying and the fear of public speaking.

The study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to compare the efficiency of cognitive behavioural therapy with exposures in imagination to behavioural therapy with exposures in virtual reality. Anxiety levels are measured using specific questionnaires, SUD ratings and physiological measures (heart rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, breathing frequency, heart rate variability).

Hypothesis: Treatments with exposures in virtual reality are more efficient than treatments with exposures in imagination.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Flying Phobia
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy; Behavioral: Exposure Therapy through Imagination

Detailed Description

In the past, several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy in the treatment of flying phobia and driving phobia. As an objective tool, psychophysiological recordings help demonstrate the decrease of physiological aspects of anxiety reactions (heart rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, heart rate variability and breathing pattern).

The aim of the present study is to examine the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy with exposures in imagination to behavioural therapy with exposures in virtual reality in the treatment of patients with flying phobia. Thirty patients will be randomized into either an imagination exposure group or a virtual reality exposure group after having received four sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy for coping with panic attacks. Respective exposure therapies consist in four sessions.

Anxiety levels will be measured before and after the cognitive behavioural therapy for coping with panic attacks as well as before and after the exposure therapy sessions and after 3 months using specific questionnaires, SUD ratings and psychophysiological measures (heart rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, breathing frequency and heart rate variability). The exposure stimuli will consist in a 10min movie of a flight with an insight-cabin viewing perspective.

The investigators hypothesize that virtual reality exposure therapies will be more effective than imagination exposure therapy in terms of decrease of anxiety self-ratings and psychophysiological fear reactions.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 36
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Luxembourg
  • Strassen, Luxembourg, L-1445
    • Centre de Recherche Public de la Santé

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Confirmed diagnosis of a specific phobia (DSM-IV-TR)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women
• Subjects with severe pulmonary / cardiovascular problems; Asthma, epilepsy, vertigo
• Drug abuse
• Subjects under on-stabilized anti-depressant treatment
• Psychotic subjects
• Subjects with suicidal ideas
• Subjects presenting insufficient intellectual capabilities

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: RV; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Virtual Reality Exposures	Behavioral: Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy; Participants are exposed to the feared situation (flying) through the virtual reality technology
Experimental: IMAGO; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Exposure Therapy through Imagination	Behavioral: Exposure Therapy through Imagination; Participants are exposed to the feared situation (flying) through exposure technique of imagination.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Flight taken	Participants are expected to take a real flight	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Physiological Measures	Heart Rate, Breathing frequency, Skin conductance, Skin Temperature, Heart Rate Variability	6 months
Specific Questionnaires	Specific Questionnaires: SUD, Motivational Scale, Fear Questionnaire Marks 1979, Sheehan Disability Scale, STAI I & II, BDI, BAI, GAF, Flight Anxiety Situations Questionnaire FAS, Flight Anxiety Modality Questionnaire FAM	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Luxembourg Institute of Health
• Collaborators: Centre Hospitalier du Luxembourg
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Charles Pull, Prof.Dr., Centre de Recherche Public de la Santé

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 15, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 28, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): September 29, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 15, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 13, 2017
• Last Verified: March 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cognitive Behavior Therapy; Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy; Psychophysiological Measures; Driving Phobia; Flying Phobia
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Phobic Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20080102

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No