Virtual Reality Tool for Substance Use Disorder and HIV Risk

Overseen By Carla Danielson, PhD

Age: < 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina

Disqualifiers: Psychosis, Cognitive disability, PDD, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

50 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This is a multi-phased study, funded through a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) K24 grant that aims to ultimately refine a virtual reality tool through qualitative and quantitative research targeting HIV and substance abuse risk behavior among at-risk young people who have experienced psychosocial trauma. Participants eligible for this study include young men who have sex with men (YMSM)/individuals who are romantically/physically attracted to men and adolescents with substance use disorder (SUD) between the ages of 15 - 30 and have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. Frontline healthcare workers who work within these populations are eligible for the study as well.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to discuss this with the trial coordinators or your healthcare provider.

What data supports the effectiveness of the Virtual Reality Tool treatment for Substance Use Disorder and HIV Risk?

Research shows that virtual reality (VR) can help treat substance use disorders by reducing cravings and improving future planning. VR therapy has been well-received by patients and therapists, and it has shown potential in helping people stay abstinent from substances. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the Virtual Reality Tool generally safe for use in humans?

Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) has been used safely in treating anxiety disorders and phobias, and practitioners believe it can be safely integrated into treatments for Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) if risks like relapse and trauma are managed. It is considered suitable for adults and those with mental health issues. ^{5 6 7 8 9}

How does this virtual reality treatment for substance use disorder differ from other treatments?

This virtual reality treatment is unique because it uses immersive experiences to help individuals visualize their future selves, which can increase their motivation to stay sober by enhancing their connection to their future and reducing cravings. Unlike traditional treatments, it provides a personalized and engaging way to support recovery by simulating realistic scenarios that encourage long-term abstinence. ^{1 3 8 10 11}

Research Team

Danielson

Principal Investigator

Medical University of South Carolina

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for young people aged 13-25 who use substances, identify as young men having sex with men (YMSM), or have experienced trauma like assault. It's also for healthcare workers dealing with these groups. Participants must be sexually active or planning to be within six months.

Inclusion Criteria

I identify as a young man who has sex with men.

Have experienced at least one interpersonal traumatic event (ITE) in lifetime (i.e., sexual assault, physical assault, witnessed domestic or community violence)

I am sexually active or plan to be in the next 6 months.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Baseline Assessment

Informed consent and baseline measures are administered

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Virtual Reality Intervention

Participants use and assess the virtual reality tool

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up Assessment

Baseline assessments are re-administered

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

2 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Virtual Reality Tool

Trial Overview The study tests a virtual reality tool designed to help at-risk youth and healthcare workers address HIV risk and substance abuse following traumatic experiences. The research includes both interviews and surveys in its multi-phase approach.

Participant Groups

Group I: Virtual Reality Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

All participants will receive the same intervention

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Medical University of South Carolina

Lead Sponsor

Trials

994

Recruited

7,408,000+

Findings from Research

Virtual Reality (VR) technology shows promise in both assessing cravings and treating substance use disorders, providing high ecological validity in its applications.

While VR effectively provokes cravings across various addictions, treatment outcomes based solely on virtual exposure to drug-related cues have shown mixed results, indicating the need for further research in this area.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Virtual Reality (VR) in Assessment and Treatment of Addictive Disorders: A Systematic Review. Segawa, T., Baudry, T., Bourla, A., et al.[2020]

Virtual reality therapy (VRT) was found to be highly acceptable and feasible for integration with standard addiction treatment (TAU) among both therapists and patients in a study involving 21 therapists and 113 patients over 6-12 months.

While VRT showed potential effectiveness in enhancing communication and problem-solving skills for relapse prevention, barriers such as motion sickness, technical issues, and costs were identified, indicating areas for improvement before wider implementation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Virtual Reality to Support Inpatient Addiction Treatment: Patients Are Ready, What About Therapists? A Feasibility Study. Arissen, C., van der Helm, L., Dijkstra, B., et al.[2022]

An immersive virtual reality (VR) intervention for adults in early recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) was well tolerated and showed no adverse effects, significantly increasing participants' future self-continuity and delaying reward preference, which doubled their delay tolerance.

After the VR experience, 30 days of follow-up indicated that participants who maintained a strong connection to their 'Recovery Future Self' remained abstinent, suggesting that enhancing future self-similarity can be a promising strategy for supporting SUD recovery.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Virtual reality intervention effects on future self-continuity and delayed reward preference in substance use disorder recovery: pilot study results. Shen, YI., Nelson, AJ., Oberlin, BG.[2023]

Virtual reality (VR) therapy shows promise in reducing cravings and substance use in individuals with substance use disorder, particularly in studies focused on nicotine addiction.

While VR may help improve mood and anxiety symptoms, the results are mixed, indicating that more targeted interventions are needed to fully understand its efficacy in treating emotional dysregulation and enhancing treatment retention.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A systematic review of virtual reality therapies for substance use disorders: Impact on secondary treatment outcomes. Taubin, D., Berger, A., Greenwald, D., et al.[2023]

A pilot clinical trial involving 19 participants with cannabis use disorder and severe mental disorder showed that an innovative avatar intervention led to a significant moderate reduction in cannabis use, with a Cohen's d of 0.611, indicating effectiveness.

The intervention utilized immersive virtual reality techniques, allowing participants to practice therapeutic methods in real-time, suggesting that this novel approach could enhance treatment outcomes for cannabis use disorder.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Avatar Intervention for Cannabis Use Disorder in Individuals with Severe Mental Disorders: A Pilot Study. Giguère, S., Potvin, S., Beaudoin, M., et al.[2023]

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) technology showed high rates of reported drug use and aligned well with traditional assessment methods in studies involving 5 participants, indicating its effectiveness for monitoring drug use and HIV risk behaviors.

Technology-based interventions, including mobile apps and text messaging, are gaining interest among drug-using populations, with one trial showing significantly higher HIV testing rates, suggesting these methods may enhance access to necessary health services.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using technology to assess and intervene with illicit drug-using persons at risk for HIV. Horvath, KJ., Lammert, S., LeGrand, S., et al.[2019]

Virtual reality (VR) has proven effective in treating various conditions, including anxiety disorders and aiding in stroke rehabilitation, by immersing patients in controlled virtual environments.

VR is particularly useful in studying and treating addiction and obesity, as it allows researchers to simulate real-life cues and settings that trigger cravings or unhealthy eating behaviors, enhancing behavior modification strategies.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

What virtual reality research in addictions can tell us about the future of obesity assessment and treatment. Bordnick, PS., Carter, BL., Traylor, AC.[2022]

A study involving 42 adolescents showed that a virtual reality environment (VRE) designed to simulate a party increased physiological arousal, as measured by heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia, compared to a neutral VRE.

The findings suggest that VREs can effectively elicit physiological responses to cues related to substance use and sexual risk, indicating their potential utility in research and interventions targeting adolescent behavior.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Eliciting affect via immersive virtual reality: a tool for adolescent risk reduction. Hadley, W., Houck, CD., Barker, DH., et al.[2021]

Practitioners and researchers believe that Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) could be a valuable addition to treating Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), as it offers safe and realistic exposure to triggering scenarios.

VRT is seen as beneficial for adults and those with mental health issues, with the potential to enhance therapy by allowing the inclusion of avatars and observing reactions, although risks like relapse and over-confidence need to be managed.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Views of Practitioners and Researchers on the Use of Virtual Reality in Treatments for Substance Use Disorders. Skeva, R., Gregg, L., Jay, C., et al.[2021]

In a pilot trial with 13 nicotine-dependent participants, exposure to virtual reality (VR) smoking cues significantly increased craving intensity by an average of 118% compared to VR neutral cues.

This study suggests that VR cue reactivity can provide a standardized and controlled method for examining drug triggers, which may enhance research and treatment strategies for substance abuse and smoking cessation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Utilizing virtual reality to standardize nicotine craving research: a pilot study. Bordnick, PS., Graap, KM., Copp, H., et al.[2015]

Craving is a key factor in substance use disorders (SUDs) that can lead to relapse, and traditional behavioral therapies struggle to suppress it in real-life social contexts.

Virtual reality (VR) is being explored as a tool to enhance craving-induction and cue-exposure therapy, but while it can effectively increase craving, its combination with cue-exposure therapy has shown limited success in promoting abstinence.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The use of virtual reality in craving assessment and cue-exposure therapy in substance use disorders. Hone-Blanchet, A., Wensing, T., Fecteau, S.[2022]

References

1. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Virtual Reality (VR) in Assessment and Treatment of Addictive Disorders: A Systematic Review. [2020]

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

Virtual Reality to Support Inpatient Addiction Treatment: Patients Are Ready, What About Therapists? A Feasibility Study. [2022]

3. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Virtual reality intervention effects on future self-continuity and delayed reward preference in substance use disorder recovery: pilot study results. [2023]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A systematic review of virtual reality therapies for substance use disorders: Impact on secondary treatment outcomes. [2023]

5. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Avatar Intervention for Cannabis Use Disorder in Individuals with Severe Mental Disorders: A Pilot Study. [2023]

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

Using technology to assess and intervene with illicit drug-using persons at risk for HIV. [2019]

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

What virtual reality research in addictions can tell us about the future of obesity assessment and treatment. [2022]

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

Eliciting affect via immersive virtual reality: a tool for adolescent risk reduction. [2021]

9. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Views of Practitioners and Researchers on the Use of Virtual Reality in Treatments for Substance Use Disorders. [2021]

10. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Utilizing virtual reality to standardize nicotine craving research: a pilot study. [2015]

11. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The use of virtual reality in craving assessment and cue-exposure therapy in substance use disorders. [2022]