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Clinical Trial NCT07314788 for Virtual Reality, Fear is not yet recruiting. See the Trial Radar Card View and AI discovery tools for all the details. Or ask anything here.
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Empathy and Virtual Reality (VR) 110 Virtual

Not yet recruiting
Clinical Trial NCT07314788 is an interventional study for Virtual Reality, Fear and is currently not yet recruiting. Enrollment is planned to begin on 1 April 2026 and continue until the study accrues 110 participants. Led by University of Miami, this study is expected to complete by 31 May 2027. The latest data from ClinicalTrials.gov was last updated on 25 February 2026.
Brief Summary
This study will characterize the subjective and physiological changes associated with empathy following a fear-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience.
Official Title

Empathy and Virtual Reality (VR)

Conditions
Virtual RealityFear
Other Study IDs
  • 20241195
NCT ID Number
NCT07314788
Start Date (Actual)
2026-04-01
Last Update Posted
2026-02-25
Completion Date (Estimated)
2027-05-31
Enrollment (Estimated)
110
Study Type
Interventional
PHASE
N/A
Status
Not yet recruiting
Primary Purpose
Basic Science
Design Allocation
Randomized
Interventional Model
Parallel
Masking
None (Open Label)
Arms / Interventions
Participant Group/ArmIntervention/Treatment
ExperimentalFear-inducing Virtual Reality (VR) experience
Participants will complete a single virtual reality (VR) exposure lasting approximately 1-2 minutes, involving a fear-inducing scenario (e.g., walking a plank above a high-rise building or canyon).
Fear-inducing Virtual Reality (VR) experience
Participants will complete a single virtual reality (VR) exposure involving a fear-inducing scenario (e.g., walking a plank above a high-rise building or canyon).
Active ComparatorNeutral Virtual Reality (VR) experience
Participants will complete a single virtual reality (VR) exposure lasting approximately 1-2 minutes, involving a neutral scenario (e.g., walking to the edge of a curb at street level).
Neutral Virtual Reality (VR) experience
Participants will complete a single virtual reality (VR) exposure involving a fear-inducing scenario (e.g., walking to the edge of a curb at street level).
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome MeasureMeasure DescriptionTime Frame
Change in self-reported empathy scores
Participant will view videos of other individuals undergoing a fear-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience and will self-report level of empathy on a scale 0=not at all to 10=extremely. Average empathy ratings will be compared pre-VR and post-VR.
Baseline (prior to VR experience) and approximately 5 minutes post-VR experience.
Change in heart rate
Average heart rate (beats/minute) will be collected while watching videos of other individuals undergoing a fear-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience and will be compared pre-VR and post-VR.
Baseline (prior to VR experience) and approximately 5 minutes post-VR experience.
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome MeasureMeasure DescriptionTime Frame
Change in the correlation between self-reported anxiety scores of self and another
Participant will view videos of other individuals undergoing a fear-inducing virtual reality (VR) experience and will self-report level of anxiety on self and other on a scale 0=not at all, 10=extremely. Anxiety ratings of self and another will be correlated and compared pre-VR and post-VR. Greater correlation will reflect greater alignment of anxiety.
Baseline (prior to VR experience) and approximately 5 minutes post-VR experience.
Participation Assistant
Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Ages
Adult
Minimum Age
18 Years
Eligible Sexes
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes
  • College-aged adults (18-25 years old)
  • English-speaking
  • Normal or corrected vision.
  • Able to provide consent.

• Presence of a significant and/or unstable medical illness (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurological disorder) or head trauma (e.g., concussion).

Additional exclusion criteria apply to virtual reality (VR):

  • VR contraindications: epilepsy, migraines, flu, sleep deprivation, etc.
  • More than minimal VR experience assessed via self-report (e.g., How often have you used virtual reality in the past? 0=never, 6=very frequently)
  • Extreme phobia of heights and/or spiders will be assessed using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) specific phobia subscale.
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Study Responsible Party
Jennifer Britton, Principal Investigator, Associate Professor, University of Miami
Study Central Contact
Contact: Jennifer Britton, Ph.D., 305-284-4943, [email protected]
1 Study Locations in 1 Countries

Florida

University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, 33146, United States
Jennifer Britton, Ph.D., Contact, 305-284-4943, [email protected]
Jennifer Britton, Ph.D., Principal Investigator