Virtual Reality Assisted Schema Therapy

ConditionHealthy Participants

Trial statusRecruiting

Trial phaseNot applicable

Trial typeInterventional

Biological sexAll

Age16+

SponsorUniversity Medical Center Groningen

About this trial

Schema therapy helps people understand which emotional needs were not met during childhood, and how they can take care of those needs now. One important part of the therapy is the chairwork exercise, where people imagine talking to different parts of themselves (like the strict parent or the hurt child) using empty chairs. These exercises can be very helpful, but they can also be difficult for people who find it hard to imagine things in their mind.

Virtual Reality (VR) can make these exercises easier and more powerful. VR creates a 3D world that feels real, using special equipment like a headset. In this world, people can see and interact with virtual characters that represent different parts of themselves. This can make the therapy more concrete and easier to understand, especially for people who struggle with imagination.

In this study, the investigators want to compare the regular imagination-based exercise with the chairwork exercise done in Virtual Reality. Everyone who joins the study will do both versions of the exercise-one with imagination and one with VR. The order will be random. Before and after each exercise, a short assessment will be conducted to see how people feel. At the end, there will also be a short interview about their experience. The whole session will take about 1.5 to 2 hours.

The investigators want to know if people experience the VR exercise differently than the regular imagination exercise. The investigators also want to know if these differences depend on how well someone can imagine things in their mind.

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Undergraduate student

16 years or older

A score of ≥ 3 on (at least) one of the schema modes (Demanding Parent, Punitive Parent, and/or Vulnerable Child)

Disqualifiers

Insufficient command of the Dutch Language

Trial design

Design model

Crossover

Treatments tested in this trial

Virtual Reality chairwork exercise
Behavioral
A chairwork exercise from schema therapy, executed in Virtual Reality
Imagination exercise
Behavioral
A regular schema therapy imagination exercise

Treatment groups

30 Participants

are divided into 2 treatment groups

Group A: VR exercise then imagination exerciseExperimental treatment 2 interventions

Group B: Imaginations exercise then VR exerciseExperimental treatment 2 interventions

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions about schema modes

VAS questions on schema modes (Momentary Schema Modes Questionnaire \[MSMQ\])

Time frame

Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)

Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions about affect

VAS questions on positive and negative affect that were derived from ESM studies and previous VR studies.

Time frame

Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)

Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions Self-Compassion and self-Criticism Scales (SCCS)

VAS questions on self-criticism and self-compassion (Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism Scales \[SCCS\])

Time frame

Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)

Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions about self-esteem.

VAS questions on self-esteem that were derived from ESM studies and previous VR studies.

Time frame

Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)

Secondary outcomes

Subjective experiences with both exercises

Qualitative interview consisting of open-ended questions to explore experiences and compare their experiences with both exercises, as well as close-ended evaluation questions in a questionnaire.

Time frame

Post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)

Other outcomes

Mental Imagery Ability

For moderation analyses, mental imagery ability will be measured using the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire (VVQ) and the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ)

Time frame

Pre-assessment (at the beginning of the 1.5h session, before the intervention)

Screening questionnaire of schema modes

The Schema Mode Inventory will be used to assess scores on schema modes, for inclusion of participants (≥3 on demanding parent, punitive parent, and/or vulnerable child).

Time frame

Screening (before start of intervention)

Demographic characteristics

The following demographics will be collected: sex, age, received psychological treatment in the past (yes/no, if yes: what type of treatment?), currently receiving psychological treatment (yes/no), received schema therapy in the past (yes/no), currently receiving schema therapy (yes/no).

Time frame

Pre-assessment (at the beginning of the 1.5h session, before the intervention)

Questionnaire on schemas (Young Schema Questionnaire - Short Form)

The Young Schema Questionnaire - Short Form will be used to assess schemas

Time frame

Pre-assessment (at the beginning of the 1.5h session, before the intervention)