Using virtual reality (VR) to reduce fear of heights
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN11898283 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN11898283 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | R52909/RE001 |
- Submission date
- 01/10/2017
- Registration date
- 04/10/2017
- Last edited
- 17/07/2018
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or exposure therapy delivered by virtual reality (VR) has been shown in a number of studies to be a safe and effective way of reducing anxieties. A state-of-the-art VR cognitive behavioural treatment has been developed for fear of heights that is automated, engaging, and deliverable via the latest consumer equipment. The aim of this study is to test whether the VR treatment reduces fear of heights at the end of treatment, and whether the treatment gains are maintained at follow-up.
Who can participate?
People aged over 18 who report a fear of heights
What does the study involve?
Participants are randomly allocated to receive the VR treatment or no treatment. The VR treatment is provided in six sessions over about a fortnight. Fear of heights is assessed using questionnaires at the start of the study, after treatment, and two weeks after the end of treatment.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The potential benefits for participants are a reduction in their fear of heights. There are unlikely to be any risks in participating although sometimes people get short-term motion sickness with VR (though this has not been found to occur with this VR set-up).
Where is the study run from?
University of Oxford (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
May 2017 to May 2018
Who is funding the study?
Oxford VR/Nowican (UK)
Who is the main contact?
1. Polly Haselton
phaselton@oxfordvr.org
2. Prof. Daniel Freeman
Contact information
Public
King Charles House
Park End Street
Oxford
OX1 1JD
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)7388 872 383 |
|---|---|
| phaselton@oxfordvr.org |
Scientific
Department of Psychiatry
Warneford Hospital
University of Oxford
Oxford
OX3 7JX
United Kingdom
Study information
| Study design | Parallel-group randomised controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Community |
| Study type | Treatment |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a patient information sheet |
| Scientific title | Using virtual reality (VR) to reduce fear of heights: a parallel-group, randomised controlled trial of a virtual reality cognitive behavioural therapy based programme for fear of heights |
| Study hypothesis | The primary hypothesis is that the VR treatment, compared to a non-intervention control group, will reduce fear of heights at the end of treatment. The secondary hypothesis is that the treatment gains will be maintained at follow-up. |
| Ethics approval(s) | University of Oxford Medical Sciences Inter-Divisional Research Ethics Committee, ref: R52909/RE001 |
| Condition | Fear of heights |
| Intervention | Participants will be randomly allocated, stratified by fear of height severity and using randomised permuted blocks, to VR treatment or control (no treatment). The VR cognitive behavioural treatment for fear of heights is automated and is delivered in six sessions, typically lasting 20-30 minutes, over approximately a fortnight. The outcomes are self-report assessments of fear of heights, with neither participant nor researcher blind to randomisation allocation, conducted at 0, 2 (post-treatment), and 4 weeks (a fortnight after treatment ends). Updated 18/10/2017: The outcomes are self-report assessments of fear of heights, with the researcher administrating the assessments blind to randomisation allocation, conducted at 0, 2 (post-treatment), and 4 weeks (a fortnight after treatment ends). |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Fear of heights, assessed using the Heights Interpretation Questionnaire (Steinman and Teachman, 2011) at 0, 2 (post-treatment), and 4 weeks (a fortnight after treatment ends) |
| Secondary outcome measures | Fear of heights, assessed using the Acrophobia Questionnaire (AQ) (Cohen, 1977); Phobia Avoidance item 3 (IAPT, 2008) at 0, 2 (post-treatment), and 4 weeks (a fortnight after treatment ends) |
| Overall study start date | 01/05/2017 |
| Overall study end date | 01/05/2018 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 100 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | 1. Adults (18+ years old) 2. Fear of heights (Heights Interpretation Questionnaire score of 30 or greater) |
| Participant exclusion criteria | 1. Current psychological treatment for fear of heights 2. Unable to travel to research appointments 3. Photosensitive epilepsy 4. Lack of stereoscopic vision or balance problems |
| Recruitment start date | 01/11/2017 |
| Recruitment end date | 27/02/2018 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
Park End Street
Oxford
OX1 1JD
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
Clinical Trials Research Governance
Joint Research Office
Block 60
Churchill Hospital
Oxford
OX3 7LE
England
United Kingdom
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/052gg0110 |
|---|
Funders
Funder type
Industry
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/05/2018 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Submission of a paper to a peer-reviewed psychiatric/mental health journal in May 2018. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not expected to be made available. The data will be held by Oxford VR. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/08/2018 | Yes | No |
Editorial Notes
17/07/2018: Publication reference added.
19/03/2018: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The recruitment end date was changed from 01/02/2018 to 27/02/2018.
2. The overall trial end date and intention to publish date were changed from 01/04/2018 to 01/05/2018.
18/10/2017: Interventions field updated.
