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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT02163148

Predictors of Exposure Success in Public Speaking Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are common and impairing. Although exposure therapy is one of the most effective treatments for anxiety, some individuals do not fully respond to treatment, and these individual differences are not well understood. Exposure therapy involves repeated, deliberate, safe engagement with a feared stimulus without the feared outcome occurring. This treatment is thought to work through a type of emotional learning called fear extinction. This study aims to look at links between fear extinction learning and exposure success, with the overall goal of better understanding who is likely to respond best to exposure therapy and why.

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Key information

Conditions

Performance Anxiety

Age range

18 year–55 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

UCSD Psychiatry Research

San Diego, California, 92037, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Score of at least 20 on the PRCS
  • Age 18-55
  • English fluency

Exclusion criteria

  • Psychotropic medication use in the past 4 weeks
  • Past experience with exposure based therapy
  • History of bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, or substance dependence
  • Current major depressive disorder of greater than moderate severity (defined as a score on the 9 item Patient Health Questionnaire of greater than 14)
  • Clinically significant suicidal or homicidal ideation
  • Non-removable ferrous metal
  • Current significant neurological conditions
  • History of loss of consciousness greater than 5 minutes duration
  • Pregnant
  • Claustrophobic

Treatment and study plan

Massed speech exposure session

Behavioral

One session consisting of 4 speech exposures, each 5 minutes long.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in peak Subjective Unit of Distress (SUDS) rating from first to fourth (last) exposure

    Time frame: 90 minutes

    Participants will complete 4 exposures during one 90 minute session. Change in the peak ratings on the final exposure relative to the first exposure will be the outcome measure.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline on the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) at 2 weeks

    Time frame: Baseline, week 2

  2. Change from baseline on the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker (PRCS) at 2 weeks

    Time frame: Baseline, week 2

Other outcomes

  1. Change from baseline on the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) at week 2

    Time frame: Baseline, week 2

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Diego

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2014
Study completion
2014
First posted
Jun 13, 2014
Registry last updated
May 27, 2015

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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