EVEN - Effects of VR on Empathy for Nature in Patients with Psychosis and Depressive Disorders

NCT06446856 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: EA2/046/24
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Study group: Experimental study to evaluate empathy, compassion, and nature connectedness before and after an immersive virtual reality experience in patients with depressive disorder, patients with psychotic disorder and healthy control subjects (subjects between 18 and 65 years of age). Primary hypothesis: The increase in nature connectedness explored by virtual body ownership of a tree in VR differs depending on the health condition (schizophrenia, depression, healthy controls).

Conditions

Depressive Disorder; Schizophrenia; Healthy Control

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Nature Connectedness

  Measurement of Nature Connectedness as a state with the "Inclusion of Nature in Self" (INS)-Questionnaire (Kleespies et al., 2021), pre and post VR exposure.

  For all groups pre and directly post VR exposure

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Empathy

  For all groups pre and directly post VR exposure (within the same session of 1 hour)

• Compassion

  For all groups pre and directly post VR exposure (within the same session of 1 hour)

• symptom burden

  For the VR study group (patients with depressive disorder) and VR active control group (patients with psychotic disorder) pre and post VR exposure (within the same session of 1 hour)

• Embodiment - Feeling of virtual body ownership

  post VR exposure for all groups (within the same session of 1 hour)

• Spirituality

  pre VR exposure for all groups

Other Outcomes (4)

• demographic variables

  pre VR exposure for all groups

• comorbidities

  pre VR exposure for all groups

• symptom severity - psychotic symptoms

  For the VR study group (patients with depressive disorder) and VR active control group (patients with psychotic disorder) pre VR exposure (within the same session of 1 hour)

Study Arms (3)

VR study group

20 patients with depressive disorder

Device: VR application

VR active control group

20 patients with psychotic disorder.

Device: VR application

VR healthy control group

20 patients with no psychiatric disorder

Device: VR application

Interventions

VR application DEVICE

The VR application consists of a software ("Tree") developed as part of a research project at MIT and legally acquired via the HTC store Viveport. Duration of the VR application: approx. 5 min.

VR active control group; VR healthy control group; VR study group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with depressive or psychotic disorder treated in the inpatient or outpatient psychiatric clinics or day clinics of the Psychiatric University Hospital Charité at St. Hedwig-Hospital

You may qualify if:

• age: 18-65 years
• Inpatients and outpatients treated at the Psychiatric University Clinic of the Charité at St.
• Hedwig Hospital
• diagnosis of depressive disorder (ICD-10: F32.X, F33.X) or diagnosis of schizophrenia (F20.X) or healthy controls without psychiatric diagnosis
• able to provide written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Acute suicidality or danger to others
• Primarily treatment-requiring eating disorder
• Acute dermatological condition affecting the hands that can distort skin conductivity measurements

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Charite University, Berlin, Germany: lead
• Universität Potsdam, Department Erziehungswissenschaft, Arbeitsbereich Schulbezogene Medienbildung: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Psychiatric University Hospital Charité at St. Hedwig Hospital

Berlin, Germany

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depressive Disorder; Schizophrenia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mood Disorders; Mental Disorders; Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Dr. med. Alva Lütt, MD

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 25, 2024
• First Posted: June 6, 2024
• Study Start: May 27, 2024
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2024
• Study Completion: June 30, 2024
• Last Updated: September 20, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-09

Locations

DE (1)