Journal Article

0Phobia – towards a virtual cure for acrophobia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Fischer, N., Van Straten, A., Van Esveld, S., Donker, T.

2018

Overview

Background Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has been shown to be as effective as traditional forms of in vivo exposure therapy for the treatment of specific phobias. However, as with in vivo exposure, VRET still involves relatively high costs and limited accessibility which makes it prohibitive for a large part of the population. Innovative methods using smartphone applications (apps) may improve accessibility and scalability of VRET. The aim of this study is to evaluate 0Phobia, a gamified self-guided VRET for acrophobia that is delivered through a smartphone app in combination with rudimentary cardboard virtual reality (VR) goggles. Methods/design Participants ( N  = 180, aged 18–65 years) with acrophobia symptoms will be recruited from the Dutch general population and randomized to either 0Phobia ( n  = 90) or a waitlist control condition ( n  = 90). 0Phobia will be delivered over a period of 3 weeks and includes psychoeducation, VR exposure, cognitive techniques, monitoring of symptoms, and relapse prevention. The primary outcome measure will be the Acrophobia Questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures will include user-friendliness, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and mastery. Assessments will take place online at baseline, directly after the intervention (post test) and at follow-up (3 months). Discussion This study capitalizes on novel technology and recent scientific advances to develop an affordable and scalable treatment modality. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register: NTR6442 . Registered on 29 June 2017.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Acrophobia / Adolescent / Adult / Aged / Anxiety disorders / App-based / Biomedicine / Care and treatment / Clinical trials / Cognition & reasoning / Computer & video games / Consent / Educational software / Electronic mail systems / Exposure therapy / Fear & phobias / Female / Gamification / Health aspects / Health Sciences / Humans / Intervention / Male / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Mental depression / Mental disorders / Mental health / Methods / Middle Aged / Mobile Applications / Netherlands / Phobic Disorders - diagnosis / Phobic Disorders - psychology / Phobic Disorders - therapy / Questionnaires / Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Serious games / Smartphone / Smartphones / Specific phobia / Statistics for Life Sciences / Study Protocol / Technology application / Therapy / Time Factors / Treatment Outcome / Video Games / Virtual reality / Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy - instrumentation / Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy - methods / Young Adult