Emotional Processes in VR Exposure Treatment for Flight Phobia

Idan Moshe Aderka84 enrolled

Overview

This study will assess emotional processes and their relation to treatment outcomes during Virtual reality exposure therapy for Flight Phobia. The researchers hypothesize treatment outcomes will be associated with positive changes in emotional constructs

Emotional constructs and emotion regulation capacities play a central role in the severity of anxiety disorders and are directly related to treatment outcomes in different anxiety disorders. In this study we will examine the relation between positive and negative affect, emotion regulation, emotional instability, emotional differentiation, experiential avoidance and therapy outcomes in participants undergoing Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Flight Phobia. We assume that treatment outcomes will be positively related to changes in the regulation, management and experience of emotions.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Fear of Flying

Interventions

VRET - Virtual Reality Exposure TherapyBEHAVIORAL

VRET will include 4 weekly 1-hour sessions over the course of 4 weeks. The treatment protocol is based on the Virtual Reality (VR) treatment manual guidelines (Rothbaum \& Hodges, 1997,1999) and includes psychoeducation, anxiety management training, cognitive restructuring and exposure. The first therapy session focuses on creating an individually-tailored conceptualization and treatment plan. Following this process, participant and therapist conduct a short introductory VR flight exposure simulation to familiarize the participant with the VRET apparatus. The VRET apparatus is an advanced, large-scale VR system that allows maximal immersion within the virtual environment. The second, third and fourth sessions include psychoeducation, relaxation training, cognitive restructuring and individually-tailored VR exposures (the therapist can manipulate the turbulence level and other flight-related variables to fit participants' fears and current progress).

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * diagnosis of Flight phobia based on a structured interview * possession of a smartphone with an active data plan Exclusion Criteria: * cardiovascular disease * neurological disorders and history of epilepsy * psychosis * major depression * suicidal behavior * substance abuse.

Locations (1)

Sheba Medical Center

Ramat Gan, Israel

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Changes in FAS (Flight Anxiety Situations Questionnaire) scores

The Flight Anxiety Situations Questionnaire (Van Grewen, Spinhoven, Van-Dyck, \& Dikstra, 1999) is a 32-item, 5-point Likert-scale (1= no anxiety to 5=overwhelming anxiety). The FAS evaluates flight-related anxiety in various situations and includes 3 factors: generalized, anticipatory and in-flight anxiety.

Time frame: Two weeks prior to therapy and one week after last therapy session (therapy includes 4 weekly 1-hour sessions over the course of 4 weeks)

Changes in FAM (Flight Anxiety Modality questionnaire) scores

The Flight Anxiety Modality (FAM) questionnaire (Van Grewen et al. 1999) assesses somatic and cognitive aspects of Flight Phobia. It includes 18 items that are rated using a 5-point scale (1=not at all, 5=very intensely). The somatic factor assesses physiological symptoms and the cognitive factor assesses anxiety-provoking cognitions

Time frame: Two weeks prior to therapy and one week after last therapy session (therapy includes 4 weekly 1-hour sessions over the course of 4 weeks).

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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