About this trial
The study design is a two-arm randomized controlled pilot trial. The investigators will recruit Inuit in Montreal and randomly assign them to two treatment groups (n=20 each). The active psychotherapy group will receive a ten-week manualized virtual reality (VR) assisted cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (VR-CBT) at the clinic and guided by a psychotherapist. The VR-CBT will aim at improving emotion regulation. The comparison group will use a VR self-management program, Calm Place, for guided relaxation during ten weeks at home. To evaluate outcome in both groups, the researchers will measure self-reports of emotion regulation, affect, distress and well-being, as well as a psychophysiological reactivity paradigm pre-post treatment.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Self-identify as Inuk
Live in Montreal
be between 14 to 60 years of age
be proficient in English or French
Disqualifiers
does not identify as Inuk
youth below the age of 14 and adults above the age of 60.
self-reported history of psychosis or schizophrenia
current substance abuse, as measured by two screens (AUDIT-C, DAST-10)
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- VR-CBT
- Self-management
Treatment groups
Sponsors and collaborators
Douglas Mental Health University Institute
Lead sponsor
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canada
Collaborator
MedTeq
Collaborator
Douglas Foundation
Collaborator
McGill University
Collaborator