Virtual Reality and Post-Traumatic Stress
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Virtual Reality and Post-Traumatic Stress - Exploring the Feasibility and Acceptability of Low-Cost Virtual Reality and 360 Video to Treat PTSD.
IRAS ID
325495
Contact name
Paul Best
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research and Enterprise Directorate
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NA, NA
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Northern Ireland has a legacy of trauma-related mental health problems and a higher estimated prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than other comparable post civil conflict societies. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) is an effective treatment for PTSD and is currently recommended by the NICE (2011) as the first line of clinical treatment. During therapy, clients with PTSD revisit the trauma memory to process what has occurred. This technique is known as Imaginal Exposure (IE) which can be a difficult process. Clients can be highly avoidant and emotionally distant from trauma memories, making it challenging to engage with exposure process. When trauma has occurred several decades previously, traumatic memories may be difficult to access, resulting in poor treatment outcomes.
Technology such as Virtual Reality (VR) can aid this process, as patients can enter a world which exposes them to the traumatic memory in a controlled therapeutic way which has shown to be effective in the treatment for PTSD. VR is yet to be used in routine clinical settings.
We are proposing to create low-cost VR environments via 360° video and a new process called VR Photoscan, which will allow a clinical setting to use this beneficial tool to support patients who are receiving TF-CBT to treat PTSD.REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
23/WS/0117
Date of REC Opinion
7 Nov 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion