Public Speaking Anxiety
Conditions
Keywords
public speaking anxiety, virtual reality, social anxiety, psychological intervention, exposure
Brief summary
This study aims to examine the efficacy of exposure using virtual reality (VR) for public speaking anxiety in young adults in two treatment arms: a one-session VR exposure therapy with a 4-week online transition intervention versus a three-session VR exposure therapy with a 4-week online transition intervention. Previous studies have demonstrated that one-session therapy (OST) is comparable to prolonged exposure-based therapies in terms of effectively reducing public speaking anxiety. Moreover, VR offers many benefits compared to in-person exposure, namely the ability to produce anxiety-evoking stimuli without having to leave the therapist's room. However, OST VR exposure has not been directly compared to prolonged VR exposure and not for public speaking anxiety.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALExposure in virtual reality and text based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for public speaking anxiety
A 3-hour one session exposure therapy for public speaking anxiety
Sponsors
Vilnius University
Linkoeping University
Stockholm University
Thomas More University of Applied Sciences
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* aged 18-30 and pursuing higher education; * experiencing a significant level of public speaking anxiety (60+ on PSAS); * able to use a computer and have access to the internet for the duration of the study; * able to understand, write and speak in Lithuanian; * available to participate in one or three in-person intervention sessions and can devote the time to participate in a 4-week online program following the intervention sessions.
Exclusion criteria
* a history of seizures or a history of epilepsy; * other significant medical conditions that would prevent them from participating in the program; * high levels of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 rating of 15 and above and mentions of suicidal ideation) or other significant psychiatric conditions that would interfere with participation in the program; * a tendency to have extreme seasickness reactions or a history of adverse physical reactions to virtual reality experiences or difficulty with or lack of stereoscopic vision; * current involvement in other psychological interventions such as psychological counseling or psychotherapy; * use of psychoactive drugs, unless stable for three months; * current participation in other programs aimed at reducing public speaking anxiety.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Public Speaking Anxiety Scale (PSAS). | Pre-treatment, mid-treatment, immediately after the intervention, 3 and 12 months post-treatment | Canonical total score will be used. Measure is self-rated, online. The scale consists of 17 self-report statements measured on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 "not at all", to 5 "extremely". A higher score indicates higher levels of experienced public speaking anxiety. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale - Self-Report (LSAS-SR) | Pre-treatment, mid-treatment, immediately after the intervention, 3 and 12 months post-treatment | Canonical total score will be used. Measure is self-rated, online. Items are rated using 4-point Likert scales ranging from 0 to 3. A higher score indicates more severe symptoms. |
| Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) | Pre-treatment, mid-treatment, immediately after the intervention, 3 and 12 months post-treatment | Canonical total score will be used. Measure is self-rated, online. The BFNE is a 12-item, 5-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 "not at all" to 5 "extremely". Higher scores indicate higher fear. In Lithuanian version of the BFNE the scores range from 0 "not at all" to 4 "extremely". |
| Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ) | Pre-treatment, mid-treatment, immediately after the intervention, 3 and 12 months post-treatment | Canonical total score will be used. Measure is self-rated, online. Each of the 14 items is rated on a 7-point Likert scale and the score is calculated by summing the ratings for each item. |
Countries
Lithuania
Contacts
STUDY_CHAIRJonas Eimontas, PhD
Vilnius University
Outcome results
None listed