The goal of this pilot randomised controlled trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of the UniVRse VR-CBT programme in students with social anxiety. The aims of this trial are: 1. To determine whether a full trial is justified; 2. To establish the effect size on the co-primary outcomes for a sample size calculation for a definitive trial; 3. To address questions concerning study recruitment, retention, and acceptability. Participants will complete a baseline assessment (T0) and then be randomly allocated to receive either UniVRse VR-CBT or join the wait-list control group. UniVRse VR-CBT uses graded exposure techniques delivered using VR to help students feel more confident in university-based situations. Data will be collected post-intervention (T1) along with exit interviews to assess participant experience.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
90
UniVRse uses well-established evidence-basedcognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques - specifically graded exposure - to reduce fear and worries about social situations. People work towards overcoming their anxiety in a step-by-step fashion, building up to the most feared situation. In the context of UniVRse, students will be presented with four university-based scenarios that our coproduction team identified as being the most anxiety-induing for students: 1. Attending a lecture; 2. Group work in a seminar; 3. Delivering a presentation; 4. Contributing to an online seminar. The UniVRse programme has been designed with our co-production team comprised of tirst-generation students with social anxiety, CBT therapists, and a VR design company.
University of Westminster
London, United Kingdom
RECRUITINGSocial Phobia Inventory (SPIN)
The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) (Connor et al., 2000) is a 17-item questionnaire measuring social anxiety.
Time frame: One week
Modified Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (MLSAS-SR)
We have used the LSAS-SR as the basis for developing a social anxiety scale that is specific to the university environment. The modified version of this scale has a list of different university-based situations and participants are asked the extent to which they fear and avoid each of the situations.
Time frame: One week
Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9)
The PHQ-9 (Spitzer et al., 1999) measures levels of depression.
Time frame: Last 2 weeks
Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7)
Developed by the same research team as the PHQ-9, the GAD-7 (Spitzer et al., 2006) is a brief screening tool used in primary care to assess the severity of generalised anxiety symptoms.
Time frame: Last 2 weeks
The Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS)
The RAS (Rathus, 1973) was developed to measure general assertiveness.
Time frame: One day
Spreitzer's Psychological Empowerment Scale (SPES)
The SPES (Spreitzer, 1995) assesses assertiveness in a specific context in terms of feeling empowered.
Time frame: One week
Short Instrument for measuring students' Confidence with Key Skills (SICKS)
The SICKS (Bray et al., 2020) assesses students' confidence in relation to a range of education-related activities.
Time frame: One week
Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES)
The RSES (Rosenberg, 1965) assesses global self-esteem.
Time frame: One day
Question of Belonging (QoB)
The QoB (Walton \& Cohen, 2007) assesses the extent to which students feel like they belong within their university community.
Time frame: One week
Identification with University (IwU)
The IwU (Nieuwenhuis et al., 2019) is a subscale within a broader assessment on social identity. The IwU assesses the extent to which persons perceive being a university student is consistent with their social identity.
Time frame: One week
Domain Specific Hope Scale - Social Hope (DSHS-SH) and Academic Hope (DSHS-AH) subscales
The DSHS assesses hope in relation to a variety of life domains. There are a total of six subscales and in this study we will be utilising both the social and academic hope subscales (Sympson, 1999).
Time frame: One day
Attendance
The University of Westminster has a 'tap in' system whereby students are required to use their student ID to register their attendance for all timetabled activities. These data are used to assess student attendance and identify any students at risk of disengaging.
Time frame: Two weeks
Cortisol in saliva samples
We will ask participants to provide 6 saliva samples a day for three consecutive days per time point i.e., 6 each at T0 on days 1, 2, and 3, and 6 each at T1 on days 1, 2, and 3 - this equates to 18 saliva samples her time point and 36 samples in total across the duration of the study per participant. We will use the samples to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Time frame: Three days
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