NCT02493010

Brief Summary

The primary objective of the study is to examine the safety, usability and preliminary efficacy of a novel arousal-based biofeedback system in alleviating social anxiety. The investigators hypothesize that after 4 weeks of hour-long interventions, participants will show reductions pre- and post-intervention in their Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale scores.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
50

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Feb 2016

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

July 24, 2014

Completed
12 months until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 9, 2015

Completed
7 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

February 1, 2016

Completed
1.4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 1, 2017

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 1, 2017

Completed
Last Updated

December 19, 2017

Status Verified

December 1, 2017

Enrollment Period

1.4 years

First QC Date

July 24, 2014

Last Update Submit

December 18, 2017

Conditions

Keywords

Virtual Reality Exposure TherapyComputerized Cognitive Behavioral TherapyPublic SpeakingSocial PhobiaBiofeedback

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

  • Change in Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale scores from Week 0 to Week 5

    A validated 24-item scale that is commonly used in social anxiety studies.

    Week 0 (Pre-intervention) and Week 5 (Post-intervention)

  • Satisfaction and Immersion Questionnaire

    A 22-item questionnaire that examines how effective, enjoyable and realistic the intervention is to participants.

    Week 4 (post-intervention) for Intervention group and Week 9 (post-intervention) for Waitlist Control group

  • Safety Measure: After each intervention session (once a week), participants will be queried on whether they have experienced any physical or psychological adverse events during the study

    The total number and severity rating of all adverse events reported will be collated at the end of the study.

    Week 1 to Week 4 for Intervention and Week 6 to Week 9 for Waitlist Control

Secondary Outcomes (3)

  • Change in Fear of Negative Evaluation-Brief (FNE-B) scores

    Week 0 (pre-intervention) and Week 5 (post-intervention)

  • Change in Self-Statements during Public Speaking (SSPS) scores

    Week 0 (pre-intervention) and Week 5 (post-intervention)

  • Change in Public Speaking Anxiety Scale scores from Week 0 to Week 5

    Week 0 (pre-intervention) and Week 5 (post-intervention)

Study Arms (2)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will undergo a 4-week intervention (once per week, 1 hour each session). Each intervention session consists of approximately 30 minutes of computerized cognitive behavioral therapy, and 30 minutes of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy with our novel arousal-based biofeedback system. For Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy, the physiological variables of participants will be continuously monitored and presented to them as feedback. Participants will have to deliver speeches to videotaped audiences while striving to regulate their physiological arousal.

Device: Arousal-based biofeedback system

Waitlist Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in Waitlist Control will receive no intervention in the first 4 weeks of the study. After the Intervention group has completed treatment, participants in the Waitlist Control will then undergo the same intervention as the Intervention group.

Interventions

Eligibility Criteria

Age21 Years - 35 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Literate in English
  • Computer literate
  • Able to travel independently
  • Agreeable to being video-recorded when going through study protocol
  • Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale score of 31 or more
  • Public Speaking Anxiety Scale score of 60 or more
  • Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) of 8 and below

You may not qualify if:

  • Has gross visual or hearing impairments
  • Has irregular heart rhythm
  • On any psychoactive medication
  • Involved in any other long-term research study
  • Current or previous history of neuropsychiatric disorders (other than depression, which will be assessed by BDI-II)
  • Suicide ideation
  • Concurrent psychotherapy for any disorder
  • Non-responding to a previous psychotherapy

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

Singapore, 169857, Singapore

Location

Related Publications (1)

  • Lin XB, Lee TS, Cheung YB, Ling J, Poon SH, Lim L, Zhang HH, Chin ZY, Wang CC, Krishnan R, Guan C. Exposure Therapy With Personalized Real-Time Arousal Detection and Feedback to Alleviate Social Anxiety Symptoms in an Analogue Adult Sample: Pilot Proof-of-Concept Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2019 Jun 14;6(6):e13869. doi: 10.2196/13869.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

SpeechPhobia, Social

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Verbal BehaviorCommunicationBehaviorPhobic DisordersAnxiety DisordersMental Disorders

Study Officials

  • Tih-Shih Lee, MD PHD

    Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
CROSSOVER
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 24, 2014

First Posted

July 9, 2015

Study Start

February 1, 2016

Primary Completion

July 1, 2017

Study Completion

July 1, 2017

Last Updated

December 19, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-12

Locations