Enrolling by invitation NCT07314788
Empathy and Virtual Reality (VR)
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Fear-inducing Virtual Reality (VR) experience, Neutral Virtual Reality (VR) experience.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Virtual Reality, Fear. Basic parameters: 18 years — 25 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Overview
This study will characterize the subjective and physiological changes associated with empathy following a fear-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience.
Interventions
- Behavioral Fear-inducing Virtual Reality (VR) experience
Participants will complete a single virtual reality (VR) exposure involving a fear-inducing scenario (e.g., walking a plank above a high-rise building or canyon). - Behavioral Neutral Virtual Reality (VR) experience
Participants will complete a single virtual reality (VR) exposure involving a fear-inducing scenario (e.g., walking to the edge of a curb at street level).
Primary outcome measures
- Change in self-reported empathy scores [Time frame: Baseline (prior to VR experience) and approximately 5 minutes post-VR experience.]
- Change in heart rate [Time frame: Baseline (prior to VR experience) and approximately 5 minutes post-VR experience.]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Change in the correlation between self-reported anxiety scores of self and another [Time frame: Baseline (prior to VR experience) and approximately 5 minutes post-VR experience.]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- College-aged adults (18-25 years old)
- English-speaking
- Normal or corrected vision.
- Able to provide consent.
Exclusion criteria
- Presence of a significant and/or unstable medical illness (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurological disorder) or head trauma (e.g., concussion).
Additional exclusion criteria apply to virtual reality (VR):
- VR contraindications: epilepsy, migraines, flu, sleep deprivation, etc.
- More than minimal VR experience assessed via self-report (e.g., How often have you used virtual reality in the past? 0=never, 6=very frequently)
- Extreme phobia of heights and/or spiders will be assessed using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) specific phobia subscale.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- University of Miami — Coral Gables
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07314788 · 20241195