Gamification in the Treatment of Spider Phobia

NCT04423783 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: GaSpPh
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 90
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Mobile applications are more and more considered when implementing programs for treating mental disorders. The study aims to reduce avoidance and fear of spiders in spider-fearful individuals by combining exposure principles with gamification elements (e.g. narrative background, level progression, points, feedback). We investigate the efficacy of the gamified app in a remote online-therapy context.

Conditions

Spider Phobia

Keywords

Gamification; Anxiety Disorder; Avoidance; App

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Change in avoidance behavior (Behavioral Approach Task; BAT)

  Scores range from 0 ("participant refuses to enter the room with spider") to 12 ("participant holds the spider at least for 20 sec").

  Baseline; (after one-session exposure if applied); Post-treatment (1-week after baseline); 3-week follow-up (4-weeks after baseline)

• Change in spider fear (Spider Phobia Questionnaire; SPQ)

  The scale ranges from 0-31. High scores reflect high subjective levels and low scores low subjective levels of spider fear.

  Baseline; Post-treatment (1-week after baseline); 3-week follow-up (4-weeks after baseline)

• Change in spider fear: Spider-Anxiety Questionnaire (FAS)

  The scale ranges from 0-108. High scores reflect high subjective levels and low scores low subjective levels of spider fear.

  Baseline; Post-treatment (1-week after baseline); 3-week follow-up (4-weeks after baseline)

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Change in disgust before and after playing the app

  Before starting and immediately after completing the game

• Change in arousal before and after playing the app

  Before starting and immediately after completing the game

• Change in anxiety before and after playing the app

  Before starting and immediately after completing the game

Other Outcomes (4)

• Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II)

  Baseline, Post-treatment (1-week after baseline); 3-week follow-up (4-weeks after baseline)

• Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)

  Baseline, Post-treatment (1-week after baseline); 3-week follow-up (4-weeks after baseline)

• German version of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8)

  (after one-session exposure if applied), Post-treatment (1-week after baseline); 3-week follow-up (4-weeks after baseline)

Study Arms (3)

Spider gamification app

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants play the spider gamification app twice a day for 7 days

Behavioral: 7-day exposure therapy via self-developed app according to (Haberkamp et al., submitted)

Online exposure + spider gamification app

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive a therapist-guided one-session online exposure therapy and play the spider gamification app twice a day for 7 days

Behavioral: 7-day exposure therapy via self-developed app according to (Haberkamp et al., submitted); Behavioral: Therapist-guided one-session online exposure therapy according to (Öst, 1989)

Online exposure + non-spider gamification app

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants receive a therapist-guided one-session online exposure therapy and play a non-spider gamification app twice a day for 7 days

Behavioral: Therapist-guided one-session online exposure therapy according to (Öst, 1989)

Interventions

7-day exposure therapy via self-developed app according to (Haberkamp et al., submitted) BEHAVIORAL

Confrontation with spiders via gamified app

Also known as: Spider Gamification App

Online exposure + spider gamification app; Spider gamification app

Therapist-guided one-session online exposure therapy according to (Öst, 1989) BEHAVIORAL

Massed exposure therapy over the course of one single session, applied in a remote-online context

Also known as: Online exposure

Online exposure + non-spider gamification app; Online exposure + spider gamification app

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Participants must
• be 18 years or older,
• SPQ score ≥ 14
• BDI-II score ≤ 18

You may not qualify if:

• are allergic to spiders or bee stings,
• are currently undergoing psychotherapeutic and/or psychopharmacological treatments,
• are experiencing current psychosis, mania, or substance abuse, or
• successfully complete 8 or more of 12 possible BAT steps at baseline (to ensure that participants are indeed spider fearful)
• are at higher risk from Covid-19 or
• participated in a pilot study in 2019.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Anke Haberkamp: lead

Study Sites (2)

Philipps University Marburg

Marburg, Germany

Location

Philipps-University Marburg Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy

Marburg, Germany

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Arachnophobia; Anxiety Disorders; Alzheimer Disease

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Dementia; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Tauopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders

Study Officials

• Anke Haberkamp, PhD

  Philipps University Marburg

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 14, 2020
• First Posted: June 9, 2020
• Study Start: July 1, 2020
• Primary Completion: August 31, 2024
• Study Completion: August 31, 2024
• Last Updated: November 8, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Time Frame: end of the study; unlimited
• Access Criteria: open-access

Locations

DE (2)