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NCT Number: NCT07558824

A Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial of a Telemedicine-based Virtual Reality Clinic for the Treatment of Phobias

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a telemedicine-based virtual reality clinic (Doxy.me VR) works to treat dog, spider, and snake phobias in adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does Doxy.me VR decrease the severity of phobias better than traditional telemedicine-based treatment? Does this work because it feels more realistic than telemedicine alone?

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Key information

Conditions

Specific Phobia, Animal Anxiety Disorders Mental Disorders Phobia, Specific Phobic Disorders

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Individuals will be eligible if they: (1) are an adult (≥18 years old); (2) have a self-reported fear of dogs, snakes, and/or spiders; (3) score 89 ≥ on the FSQ OR 24 ≥ on the SNAQ OR 147 ≥ on the DPQ; and (4) have access to the internet AND a computer OR smartphone with video conferencing capabilities.

Exclusion criteria

Individuals will be ineligible to participate if they: (1) are participating in ongoing mental health therapy from a non-study therapist; (2) changed psychiatric medication use within the past 6 weeks; (3) report active auditory, visual, and/or tactile hallucinations via the DART Psychosis Module screening question; (4) report active health conditions requiring upcoming planned or likely hospitalization or intensive treatment that will prevent them from participating; (5) report active legal proceedings that might lead to incarceration during the study period that would prevent them from participating; (6) report an unstable housing situation (eg., eviction or homelessness); (7) have experienced photosensitive seizures within the prior 6 months; (8) endorse more than 20% of symptom validity questions.

Treatment and study plan

Telemedicine-Based Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Behavioral

Participants will complete 7 60-minute exposure therapy sessions in a Virtual Reality Clinic using Virtual Reality stimuli and progress to in vivo exposures.

Other Name:

Telemedicine-Based Exposure Therapy Using Photos and Videos

Behavioral

Participants will complete 7 60-minute exposure therapy sessions using photos/videos and progress to in vivo exposures.

Primary outcomes

  1. Phobia symptom severity

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment)

    The Severity Measure for Specific Phobia (SMSP) is a 10-item self-report questionnaire that assesses the severity of specific phobia symptoms relative to an individual's feared stimulus. Total scores range from 0 to 4 with higher scores indicating higher phobia severity.

  2. Dog Phobia Severity

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment)

    The Dog Phobia Questionnaire (DPQ) is a 27-item, self-report questionnaire assessing the severity of dog phobia symptoms. Scores range from 27 to 189 with higher scores indicating higher phobia severity.

  3. Snake Phobia Severity

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment)

    The Snake Anxiety Questionnaire (SNAQ) is a 30-item self-report questionnaire assessing the severity of snake phobia symptoms. Scores range from 0 to 30 with higher scores indicating higher phobia severity.

  4. Spider Phobia Severity

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment)

    The Fear of Spiders Questionnaire (FSQ) is an 18-item self-report questionnaire assessing the severity of spider phobia symptoms. Scores range from 18 to 126 with higher scores indicating higher phobia severity.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Specific Phobia Diagnosis

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment)

    The Diagnostic Assessment Research Tool (DART) is a modular semi structured interview corresponding with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). Study therapists administer the DART Specific Phobia Module, which provides designations of Absent, Subthreshold, and Present.

  2. General Anxiety

    Time frame: Baseline, 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment)

    The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is a 7-item self-report measure of anxiety symptom severity. Scores range from 0 to 15 with higher scores indicating higher anxiety severity.

  3. Depression Severity

    Time frame: Baseline, 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment)

    The Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) is an 8-item self-report measure of depression symptom severity. Scores range from 0 to 27 with higher scores indicating higher depression severity.

  4. Quality of Life Level

    Time frame: Baseline, 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment), and 28 weeks Post-Baseline (3-Months Post-Treatment)

    The Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) is a 16-item self-report measure of quality of life. Scores range from 16 to 112 with higher scores indicating better quality of life.

  5. Level of Telepresence

    Time frame: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7; Averaged across weeks

    The iGroup Presence Questionnaire (iPQ) is a 14-item self-report questionnaire of telepresence. Scores on each subscale range from 0-6 with higher scores indicating more presence.

  6. Cybersickness Severity

    Time frame: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7; Averaged across weeks

    The Cybersickness in Virtual Reality Questionnaire (CSQ-VR) is an 6-item measure of nausea, vestibular, and oculomotor cybersickness experienced in virtual reality. Scores range from 6 to 27 with higher scores indicating higher levels of cybersickness.

  7. Level of Working (Therapeutic) Alliance

    Time frame: 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment)

    The Working Alliance Inventory (WAI-SR) is a 12-item client-rated measure of therapeutic alliance. Total scores range from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating a better therapeutic alliance.

  8. Satisfaction with Therapy

    Time frame: 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment)

    The Satisfaction with Therapy and Therapist Scale-Revised (STTS-R) is a 13-item self-report questionnaire that assesses client satisfaction with treatment. Scores range from 0 to 60 with higher scores indicating higher satisfaction.

  9. System Usability

    Time frame: 4 Weeks Post-Baseline (Mid-Treatment), 7 Weeks Post-Baseline (Post-Treatment)

    The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a 10-item self-report measure of the usability of a particular software system, platform, or app. Scores range from 0-100 with higher scores indicating better usability.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Maureen Jacobs Plaisimond

CONTACT

[email protected]

813-396-0060

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of South Florida

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Registry information

Official study title

Doxy.me VR vs. Telemental Health-Based Exposure Therapy: Phase II

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2028
First posted
Apr 30, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 30, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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