Virtual Reality Intervention for Speech Anxiety

Boston University Charles River Campus48 enrolled

Overview

Exposure-based cognitive behavior therapy is an efficacious treatment for speech anxiety and has been delivered effectively in a virtual reality (VR) environment. The present study is designed to evaluate whether mood state moderates outcome to a brief VR exposure intervention.

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare outcomes of VR exposure therapy for college students with public speaking anxiety following a positive or negative mood induction. The overarching aim of the present study is to determine whether mood state prior to engaging in a brief VR exposure therapy session for public speaking anxiety impacts treatment outcomes. The study involves three phases: (1) initial screening, (2) in-person assessment and brief exposure intervention for a subset of participants with elevated public speaking anxiety, and (3) a one-week follow-up assessment conducted online. Students who choose to participate and screen high on a public speaking anxiety scale will be assigned to a positive or negative mood induction condition prior to undergoing VR based exposure therapy. Public speaking and social anxiety outcomes are measured immediately post-intervention and one week later. Researchers will compare participants given a positive mood induction to participants given a negative mood induction to see if public speaking anxiety outcomes differ.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Public Speaking Speech Anxiety

Interventions

Exposure intervention plus positive mood inductionBEHAVIORAL

Positive mood induction followed by a brief VR exposure session for public speaking anxiety.

Exposure intervention plus negative mood inductionBEHAVIORAL

Negative mood induction followed by a brief VR exposure session for public speaking anxiety.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Self-report of 18 years of age or older * Current student at Boston University * Ability to read English to provide informed consent * Familiarity with a computer keyboard and mouse or a touch screen device (e.g. phone, tablet). * For Phase 2: speech anxiety scale score of ≥ 14 on the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, Public Speaking Subscale (PRCA-PS) Exclusion Criteria: * Previous participation (i.e., no participant may take the survey more than once).

Locations (1)

Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Public Speaking Anxiety

Assessed using the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, Public Speaking Subscale (PRCA-PS)

Time frame: Comparison of pre-exposure scores to scores from post-treatment, approximately 2 week post-screen

Secondary Outcomes

Valence

Self-report measure of how participant feels about having to give a speech

Time frame: Comparison of pre-exposure scores to scores from follow up survey, 1 week post-exposure

Social Phobia

Assessed using the social phobia inventory (SPIN)

Time frame: Comparison of pre-exposure scores to scores from follow up survey, 1 week post-exposure

Public Speaking Anxiety

Assessed using the PRCA-PS

Time frame: Comparison of pre-exposure scores to scores from follow up survey, 1 week post-exposure

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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