This study aims to assess whether adding vibrotactile stimulation to visual and auditory stimulation increases the efficacy of VRET for FoF treatment. Eighty-four participants (18-65 years old) will be assigned to one of three intervention arms, namely the VRET with multimodal feedback (visual, auditory, and vibrotactile; VRET-M), the VRET with bimodal feedback (visual and auditory; VRET-B), or the imagery exposure treatment (IET) without sensory feedback. FoF-related symptoms (primary outcomes) will be measured administering the Fear of Flying Questionnaire-II (QPV-II), the Fear of Flying Scale (FFS), and the Visual Analogic Scale (VAS-A) before and after eight sessions of treatment, and at six- and 12-month follow-ups. Anxiety and the sense of presence experienced during exposure sessions (secondary outcome measures: VAS-A and VAS-P) will also be assessed. It is expected that participants in the VRET-M group will report a further reduction of FoF-related symptomatology after the treatment and at follow-ups compared to participants in the VRET-B and IET groups. Likewise, participants in the VRET-M group are expected to show higher sense of presence levels during exposure sessions in comparison to participants in the VRET-B and IET groups. It is expected that the IET group will report the lowest level of sense of presence and the poorest outcome after treatment and at follow-ups.
Participants who meet the inclusion criteria will be invited to participate in the initial treatment session. They will be also required to purchase a flight ticket during the six months after the end of the treatment. Participants will be treated weekly for eight individual sessions. While the first two sessions involve preparation and training, exposure will be conducted between the third and eighth session. The exposure sessions' structure and content will be the same in all conditions. Nevertheless, the VRET-M group will experience vibrotactile cues, while the VRET-B group will not. Furthermore, the IET group will experience its own subjective imagined environment without any external stimulation.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
84
The VRET-M group will experience visual, auditive and vibrotactile cues in the exposure sessions.
The VRET-B group will experience visual and auditive cues in the exposure sessions.
The IET group will experience its own subjective imagined environment without any external stimulation.
Faculty of Psychology. Universitat de Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
Fear of Flying (FoF). Administering the Fear of Flying Questionnaire-II (QPV-II) and the Fear of Flying Scale (FFS).
To what extend I feel fear about flying by plane? The QPV-II is rated from on a 10-point scale (0 = absence of anxiety, 10 = extreme anxiety) with scores ranging from 0 to 300. The FFS is rated on a 5-point scale (0 = not at all, 4 = very much), with scores ranging from 0 to 84.
Time frame: Before the exposure treatment.
Fear of Flying (FoF). Administering the Fear of Flying Questionnaire-II (QPV-II) and the Fear of Flying Scale (FFS).
To what extend I feel fear about flying by plane? The QPV-II is rated from on a 10-point scale (0 = absence of anxiety, 10 = extreme anxiety) with scores ranging from 0 to 300. The FFS is rated on a 5-point scale (0 = not at all, 4 = very much), with scores ranging from 0 to 84.
Time frame: After eight sessions of treatment during eight weeks.
Fear of Flying (FoF). Administering the Fear of Flying Questionnaire-II (QPV-II) and the Fear of Flying Scale (FFS).
To what extend I feel fear about flying by plane? The QPV-II is rated from on a 10-point scale (0 = absence of anxiety, 10 = extreme anxiety) with scores ranging from 0 to 300. The FFS is rated on a 5-point scale (0 = not at all, 4 = very much), with scores ranging from 0 to 84.
Time frame: At 6 months follow-up after treatment termination.
Fear of Flying (FoF). Administering the Fear of Flying Questionnaire-II (QPV-II) and the Fear of Flying Scale (FFS).
To what extend I feel fear about flying by plane? The QPV-II is rated from on a 10-point scale (0 = absence of anxiety, 10 = extreme anxiety) with scores ranging from 0 to 300. The FFS is rated on a 5-point scale (0 = not at all, 4 = very much), with scores ranging from 0 to 84.
Time frame: At 12 months follow-up after treatment termination.
Anxiety. Administering a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS-A).
To what extend I feel anxious about flying by plane? measured from 0 (absence of anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).
Time frame: Before the exposure treatment.
Anxiety. Administering a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS-A).
To what extend I feel anxious about flying by plane? measured from 0 (absence of anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).
Time frame: After eight sessions of treatment during eight weeks.
Anxiety. Administering a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS-A).
To what extend I feel anxious about flying by plane? measured from 0 (absence of anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).
Time frame: At 6 months follow-up after treatment termination.
Anxiety. Administering a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS-A).
To what extend I feel anxious about flying by plane? measured from 0 (absence of anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).
Time frame: At 12 months follow-up after treatment termination.
Anxiety. Administering a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS-A).
To what extend I feel anxious now? measured from 0 (absence of anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).
Time frame: Before each exposure session.
Anxiety. Administering a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS-A).
To what extend I feel anxious now? measured from 0 (absence of anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).
Time frame: Every 2 minutes during each exposure session of 60 minutes.
Anxiety. Administering a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS-A).
To what extend I feel anxious now? measured from 0 (absence of anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).
Time frame: After eight sessions of treatment during eight weeks.
Sense of Presence. Administering the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS-P).
To what extend I feel present now? measured from 0 (absence of sense of presence) to 10 (extreme sense of presence).
Time frame: Every 2 minutes during each exposure session of 60 minutes.
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