The Phoenix VR Self-Confidence Therapy Trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Phoenix VR Self-Confidence Therapy Trial: A Case Series and a Randomised Controlled Trial of Automated VR Therapy to Improve the Self-Confidence of Young People Diagnosed with Psychosis
IRAS ID
312539
Contact name
Daniel Freeman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford RGEA - Karen Melham
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN10250113
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
The clinical issue: The confidence of young people diagnosed with psychosis is often low. A sense of defeat and failure is common. Withdrawal from many aspects of everyday life often occurs. For recovery, it is crucial to arrest as soon as possible this downward spiral in which a lack of confidence leads to withdrawal, which brings further feelings of defeat and fewer opportunities for positive experiences. There are psychological techniques that can improve self-confidence. However, very few patients ever receive such psychological therapy due to a shortage of therapists.
Intervention: Virtual reality (VR) offers an exceptionally promising route out of this impasse. VR enables users to repeatedly experience therapeutically beneficial simulations, with the learning transferring to the real world. VR treatment can be made compelling and entertaining. Automating treatment by inclusion of a virtual coach removes reliance on the availability of therapists. With young people with lived experience, we have developed an automated VR therapy to improve self-confidence (Phoenix). The treatment is based on established cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and positive psychology techniques. Phoenix builds on our team’s successful development and testing of two other automated VR therapies for patients with psychosis: gameChange and THRIVE.
Evaluation: We predict that Phoenix will obtain high ease of use ratings, up-take, and patient satisfaction. This will be tested in an initial case series with 12 patients with a non-affective psychosis diagnosis, aged 16-26 years old, and with low self-confidence. The potential clinical treatment effects on self-confidence will also be evaluated. We predict that Phoenix will produce large improvements in self-confidence. This will be tested in a randomised controlled trial with 80 patients. People will be allocated at random to receive Phoenix or not. Usual care will continue. Everyone’s progress will be assessed at 0 (baseline), 6 (end of treatment), and 12 weeks (follow-up).
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0273
Date of REC Opinion
4 May 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion