Stress Management for Emotional Distress

Overseen By Matthew Genuchi, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Boise State University

Disqualifiers: Younger than 18

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 1 week

500 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Do I need to stop taking my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Virtual Control Task, Virtual Sequential Emotional Processing Task for stress management?

Research shows that virtual reality (VR) technology can effectively reduce stress reactions, as it helps people experience and manage stress in a controlled environment. Studies have found that VR can produce similar emotional responses to real-life stressors, making it a promising tool for stress management. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the stress management treatment safe for humans?

The studies involving virtual reality stress management systems show that they are generally safe for humans, with no significant adverse effects reported. These systems have been used to induce and manage stress in controlled settings, and while they can cause typical stress responses like increased heart rate, they are designed to be safe and manageable. ^{1 2 4 6 7}

How is the Virtual Sequential Emotional Processing Task treatment different from other treatments for emotional distress?

The Virtual Sequential Emotional Processing Task is unique because it uses virtual reality to simulate social stressors, allowing for controlled exposure and measurement of emotional and physiological responses, which can be more consistent and less intense than traditional in-person stress tests. ^{4 5 8 9 10}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a virtual task can reduce distress in college students. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Will those who complete the virtual task have less distress? 2. Will men and women both benefit equally from the virtual task? Researchers will compare the virtual task to a control task (another virtual task that we expect will not impact distress) to see if distress differs. Participants will spend 20 minutes engaging in the virtual task (or the control task) on 3 different days all within one week. They will complete a survey about their well-being before starting the first virtual task and again \~6 weeks afterward.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for college students experiencing emotional distress. Participants must be willing to engage in a virtual task for 20 minutes on three separate days within one week and complete surveys about their well-being before and after the tasks.

Inclusion Criteria

I am currently enrolled in college.

Exclusion Criteria

I am under 18 years old.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 week

Treatment

Participants engage in a virtual task or control task for 20 minutes on 3 different days within one week

1 week

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in distress and well-being 6 weeks after the intervention

6 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Virtual Control Task
• Virtual Sequential Emotional Processing Task

Trial Overview The study is testing if a Virtual Sequential Emotional Processing Task can reduce distress among college students, compared to a control task expected not to impact distress. The effectiveness will be measured through pre- and post-task surveys.

Participant Groups

Group I: Virtual Intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Group II: Virtual Control Placebo Group 1 Intervention

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Boise State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

14

Recruited

10,200+

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Collaborator

Trials

315

Recruited

251,000+

References

1. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sadness-Based Approach-Avoidance Modification Training for Subjective Stress in Adults: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. [2023]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Automated Stress Recognition Using Supervised Learning Classifiers by Interactive Virtual Reality Scenes. [2022]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Review of Psychophysiological and Psychotherapeutic Studies of Stress Using Virtual Reality Technologies. [2023]

4. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Multi-modal responses to the Virtual Reality Trier Social Stress Test: A comparison with standard interpersonal and control conditions. [2021]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Psychosocial stress evoked by a virtual audience: relation to neuroendocrine activity. [2019]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

IMVEST, an immersive multimodal virtual environment stress test for humans that adjusts challenge to individual's performance. [2021]

7. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Breathing Biofeedback for Police Officers in a Stressful Virtual Environment: Challenges and Opportunities. [2021]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Early threat perception is independent of later cognitive and behavioral control. A virtual reality-EEG-ECG study. [2023]

9. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A novel process-based approach to improve resilience: Effects of computerized mouse-based (gaze)contingent attention training (MCAT) on reappraisal and rumination. [2020]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Neural and behavioral measures of error-related cognitive control predict daily coping with stress. [2018]