Virtual reality exposure therapy for social anxiety
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The efficacy of self-guided virtual reality exposure therapy with biofeedback for socially anxious people
IRAS ID
251291
Contact name
Preethi Premkumar
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottingham Trent University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 29 days
Research summary
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is an exaggerated fear in people that others will negatively evaluate them. We have already successfully pilot-tested the efficacy of virtual-reality exposure therapy (VRET) in students who were anxious of English public speaking (a threatening social situation). Together with Nottingham Trent University's (NTU) Interactive Systems Research Group, we have designed and developed a self-guided VRET for social anxiety. We have used English public-speaking as the socially provoking scenario. This approach is unique in that it allows participants to manipulate many aspects of the virtual environment in response to their level of arousal and anxiety which they will receive biofeedback on.
In our previous study, we found that the students with English public-speaking anxiety reported less anxiety about public-speaking after two VRET sessions. In the current study, we wish to test the VRET in people with social anxiety in the general population or with a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder. The aim of the current project is to further establish whether people can manage their social anxiety better if they received continuous biofeedback about their physiological arousal whilst receiving VRET for social anxiety.
The objectives of the project are to determine whether (1) a short course (3 sessions) of VRET with biofeedback improves social anxiety in people with psychometrically-defined social anxiety or people with a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder, (2) improvement in social anxiety is greater for people receiving VRET with biofeedback about their arousal state than people receiving VRET without biofeedback, and (3) the improvement is sustained at one-month follow-up after the intervention.
Participants will attend 3 one-hour sessions of VRET over a 3 week period. Participants will give a 20-minute talk in front of a virtual audience in a virtual lecture theatre. They can modify their environment periodically to increase their exposure to social threat.REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0833
Date of REC Opinion
20 Feb 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion