Specific Phobia, Animal
Conditions
Keywords
phobia, phobias, snakes, dogs, spiders
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a telemedicine-based virtual reality clinic (Doxy.me VR) works to treat dog, spider, and snake phobias in adults. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does Doxy.me VR decrease the severity of phobias better than traditional telemedicine-based treatment? Does this work because it feels more realistic than telemedicine alone?
Interventions
Participants will complete 7 60-minute exposure therapy sessions in a Virtual Reality Clinic using Virtual Reality stimuli and progress to in vivo exposures. Other Name:
BEHAVIORALTelemedicine-Based Exposure Therapy Using Photos and Videos
Participants will complete 7 60-minute exposure therapy sessions using photos/videos and progress to in vivo exposures.
Sponsors
University of South Florida
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
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
Individuals will be eligible if they: (1) are an adult (≥18 years old); (2) have a self-reported fear of dogs, snakes, and/or spiders; (3) score 89 ≥ on the FSQ OR 24 ≥ on the SNAQ OR 147 ≥ on the DPQ; and (4) have access to the internet AND a computer OR smartphone with video conferencing capabilities.
Exclusion criteria
Individuals will be ineligible to participate if they: (1) are participating in ongoing mental health therapy from a non-study therapist; (2) changed psychiatric medication use within the past 6 weeks; (3) report active auditory, visual, and/or tactile hallucinations via the DART Psychosis Module screening question; (4) report active health conditions requiring upcoming planned or likely hospitalization or intensive treatment that will prevent them from participating; (5) report active legal proceedings that might lead to incarceration during the study period that would prevent them from participating; (6) report an unstable housing situation (eg., eviction or homelessness); (7) have experienced photosensitive seizures within the prior 6 months; (8) endorse more than 20% of symptom validity questions.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Phobia symptom severity | Baseline, 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment) | The Severity Measure for Specific Phobia (SMSP) is a 10-item self-report questionnaire that assesses the severity of specific phobia symptoms relative to an individual's feared stimulus. Total scores range from 0 to 4 with higher scores indicating higher phobia severity. |
| Dog Phobia Severity | Baseline, 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment) | The Dog Phobia Questionnaire (DPQ) is a 27-item, self-report questionnaire assessing the severity of dog phobia symptoms. Scores range from 27 to 189 with higher scores indicating higher phobia severity. |
| Snake Phobia Severity | Baseline, 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment) | The Snake Anxiety Questionnaire (SNAQ) is a 30-item self-report questionnaire assessing the severity of snake phobia symptoms. Scores range from 0 to 30 with higher scores indicating higher phobia severity. |
| Spider Phobia Severity | Baseline, 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment) | The Fear of Spiders Questionnaire (FSQ) is an 18-item self-report questionnaire assessing the severity of spider phobia symptoms. Scores range from 18 to 126 with higher scores indicating higher phobia severity. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Specific Phobia Diagnosis | Baseline, 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment) | The Diagnostic Assessment Research Tool (DART) is a modular semi structured interview corresponding with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). Study therapists administer the DART Specific Phobia Module, which provides designations of Absent, Subthreshold, and Present. |
| General Anxiety | Baseline, 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment) | The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is a 7-item self-report measure of anxiety symptom severity. Scores range from 0 to 15 with higher scores indicating higher anxiety severity. |
| Depression Severity | Baseline, 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment) | The Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) is an 8-item self-report measure of depression symptom severity. Scores range from 0 to 27 with higher scores indicating higher depression severity. |
| Quality of Life Level | Baseline, 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment) | The Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) is a 16-item self-report measure of quality of life. Scores range from 16 to 112 with higher scores indicating better quality of life. |
| Level of Telepresence | Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7; Averaged across weeks | The iGroup Presence Questionnaire (iPQ) is a 14-item self-report questionnaire of telepresence. Scores on each subscale range from 0-6 with higher scores indicating more presence. |
| Cybersickness Severity | Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7; Averaged across weeks | The Cybersickness in Virtual Reality Questionnaire (CSQ-VR) is an 6-item measure of nausea, vestibular, and oculomotor cybersickness experienced in virtual reality. Scores range from 6 to 27 with higher scores indicating higher levels of cybersickness. |
| Level of Working (Therapeutic) Alliance | 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment) | The Working Alliance Inventory (WAI-SR) is a 12-item client-rated measure of therapeutic alliance. Total scores range from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating a better therapeutic alliance. |
| Satisfaction with Therapy | 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment) | The Satisfaction with Therapy and Therapist Scale-Revised (STTS-R) is a 13-item self-report questionnaire that assesses client satisfaction with treatment. Scores range from 0 to 60 with higher scores indicating higher satisfaction. |
| System Usability | 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment) | The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a 10-item self-report measure of the usability of a particular software system, platform, or app. Scores range from 0-100 with higher scores indicating better usability. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTMaureen Jacobs Plaisimond
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORBrian E. Bunnell, PhD
University of South Florida
Outcome results
None listed