Flying Phobia Clinical Trial
Official title:
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.
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.
;
| Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completed |
NCT02298478 -
Efficacy of an Internet-based Treatment for Flying Phobia: NO-FEAR Airlines
|
N/A | |
| Completed |
NCT03900559 -
An Internet-based Treatment for Flying Phobia
|
N/A |