Fear of Flying
Conditions
Brief summary
This study will assess emotional processes and their relation to treatment outcomes during Virtual reality exposure therapy for Flight Phobia. The researchers hypothesize treatment outcomes will be associated with positive changes in emotional constructs
Detailed description
Emotional constructs and emotion regulation capacities play a central role in the severity of anxiety disorders and are directly related to treatment outcomes in different anxiety disorders. In this study we will examine the relation between positive and negative affect, emotion regulation, emotional instability, emotional differentiation, experiential avoidance and therapy outcomes in participants undergoing Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Flight Phobia. We assume that treatment outcomes will be positively related to changes in the regulation, management and experience of emotions.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALVRET - Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
VRET will include 4 weekly 1-hour sessions over the course of 4 weeks. The treatment protocol is based on the Virtual Reality (VR) treatment manual guidelines (Rothbaum \& Hodges, 1997,1999) and includes psychoeducation, anxiety management training, cognitive restructuring and exposure. The first therapy session focuses on creating an individually-tailored conceptualization and treatment plan. Following this process, participant and therapist conduct a short introductory VR flight exposure simulation to familiarize the participant with the VRET apparatus. The VRET apparatus is an advanced, large-scale VR system that allows maximal immersion within the virtual environment. The second, third and fourth sessions include psychoeducation, relaxation training, cognitive restructuring and individually-tailored VR exposures (the therapist can manipulate the turbulence level and other flight-related variables to fit participants' fears and current progress).
Sponsors
Idan Moshe Aderka
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* diagnosis of Flight phobia based on a structured interview * possession of a smartphone with an active data plan
Exclusion criteria
* cardiovascular disease * neurological disorders and history of epilepsy * psychosis * major depression * suicidal behavior * substance abuse.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in FAS (Flight Anxiety Situations Questionnaire) Scores | Two weeks prior to therapy and one week after last therapy session (therapy includes 4 weekly 1-hour sessions over the course of 4 weeks) | The Flight Anxiety Situations Questionnaire (Van Grewen, Spinhoven, Van-Dyck, \& Dikstra, 1999) is a 32-item, 5-point Likert-scale (1= no anxiety to 5=overwhelming anxiety). The FAS evaluates flight-related anxiety in various situations. We used the total score of the FAS which ranges from 32 to 160 with higher values indicating more flight-related anxiety. Thus, higher values reflect worse outcomes, and lower values reflect better outcomes. The total score is obtained by summing all items. |
| Changes in FAM (Flight Anxiety Modality Questionnaire) Scores | Two weeks prior to therapy and one week after last therapy session (therapy includes 4 weekly 1-hour sessions over the course of 4 weeks). | The Flight Anxiety Modality (FAM) questionnaire (Van Grewen et al. 1999) assesses somatic and cognitive aspects of Flight Phobia. It includes 18 items that are rated using a 5-point scale (1=not at all, 5=very intensely). We used the total score of the FAM which ranges from 18 to 90, with higher values indicating more flight-related anxiety. Thus, higher values reflect worse outcomes, and lower values reflect better outcomes. The total score is obtained by summing all items. |
Countries
Israel
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAsaf Caspi, MD
Sheba Medical Center
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | — |
|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 37.01 Years STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.6 |
| Race and Ethnicity Not Collected | 0 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment Israel | 42 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 44 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 21 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 42 | 0 / 42 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 42 | 0 / 42 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 42 | 0 / 42 |
Outcome results
None listed