Virtual reality hypnotherapy for healthcare students
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN17356993 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN17356993 |
| IRAS number | 22022.0122 |
- Submission date
- 31/12/2023
- Registration date
- 03/01/2024
- Last edited
- 03/01/2024
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Poor student mental health is a priority for universities and there is some evidence that both hypnotherapy and virtual reality (VR) can be helpful in reducing perceived stress in the general population. This is a feasibility trial of an intervention combining hypnotherapy and VR which was trialled in a group of healthcare students.
Who can participate?
Students aged over 18 years registered at St George’s University of London
What does the study involve?
The students will be asked to try the VR hypnotherapy experience once a day over 3 days, and it lasts about 7 minutes.
The students will be asked to complete some questionnaires regarding their wellbeing and anxiety levels before and after the 3-day trial, and scales before and after each session measuring how relaxed/happy/sad they feel on a scale of 1 to 10. Pulse and blood pressure will be measured before and after each experience and at the end of the 3 days the students will be asked how they found it overall, what was good and what was bad about it.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The main risk is of feeling nauseous (cybersickness). Students will have an opportunity to try a novel experience.
Where is the study run from?
St George's, University of London (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
February 2021 to July 2022
Who is funding the study?
St George's, University of London (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Aileen O’Brien, aobrien@sgul.ac.uk
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator
SGUL
London
SW17
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-2824-7190 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)7961174521 |
| aobrien@sgul.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Single-arm non-randomized feasibility pilot trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | University/medical school/dental school |
| Study type | Other |
| Scientific title | Virtual reality hypnotherapy for healthcare students: a feasibility trial |
| Study hypothesis | A virtual reality hypnotherapy experience will be tolerated and acceptable to healthcare students |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 06/06/2022, St George’s Research Ethics Committee (SGREC) (SGUL, Cranmer Terrace, Tooting, London, SW17 7DJ, United Kingdom; +44 (0)208 266 6073; sgulrec@sgul.ac.uk), ref: 22022.0122 |
| Condition | Perceived stress |
| Intervention | This was a pilot so there was only one arm and no randomisation. Students who volunteered for the trial and met the eligibility criteria were allocated a project id and their sex, age group and ethnicity were recorded. Participants were asked to attend a quiet annex of the Student Union for a maximum of 1 hour each day (timed for the end of the teaching day) on three consecutive days. Students tried the virtual reality hypnotherapy experience over 3 days each lasting 7 minutes, involving the voice of a clinical hypnotherapist guiding the user through a series of virtual spaces. |
| Intervention type | Device |
| Pharmaceutical study type(s) | Not Applicable |
| Phase | Not Applicable |
| Drug / device / biological / vaccine name(s) | Virtual reality hypnotherapy in oculus headset |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. Wellbeing measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) at the start of the first session and the end of the third session 2. Perceived stress measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) at the start of the first session and the end of the third session 3. Depression measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ2) at the start of the first session and the end of the third session 4. Anxiety measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire at the start of the first session and the end of the third session 5. Stress, happiness, sadness, calm, and anxiety measured using visual analogue scales before and after each VR session 6. Students’ experience of the VR assessed using qualitative analysis of an open-ended question at the end of the 3 days |
| Secondary outcome measures | Pulse and blood pressure readings assessed as proxy indicators of stress by junior doctors manually (pulse) and with an electronic blood pressure reader before and after each VR session |
| Overall study start date | 01/02/2021 |
| Overall study end date | 26/07/2022 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 65 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 20 |
| Total final enrolment | 14 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | 1. Aged over 18 years 2. Student at St George's University of London |
| Participant exclusion criteria | 1. Epilepsy 2. Pacemaker |
| Recruitment start date | 07/06/2022 |
| Recruitment end date | 15/06/2022 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
London
SW17 7DJ
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
Cranmer Terrace
Tooting
London
Sw177DJ
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)2087255000 |
|---|---|
| rallen@sgul.ac.uk | |
| Website | http://www.sgul.ac.uk/ |
Funders
Funder type
University/education
Private sector organisation / Universities (academic only)
- Alternative name(s)
- St. George's
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/02/2024 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | To publish in a peer reviewed journal. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated will be available on request from Dr Aileen O'Brien (aobrien@sgul.ac.uk). |
Editorial Notes
02/01/2024: Study's existence confirmed by the St George’s Research Ethics Committee (SGREC).
