ArticleBMC psychiatry2020
A randomized controlled trial of a virtual reality based, approach-avoidance training program for alcohol use disorder: a study protocol.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04283305 (A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Virtual Reality Based, Approach-avoidance Training Program for Alcohol Use Disorder), which is not on this map. Cited by 8 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Virtual Reality Based, Approach-avoidance Training Program for Alcohol Use Disorder
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Virtualizing Alcohol Use Disorder Therapy: A Systematic Scoping Review.Advances in therapy · 2026Article
- Virtual reality interventions in the assessment and treatment of alcohol use disorder - a systematic scoping review on methodology.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2025Article
- Playing Closer: Using Virtual Reality to Measure Approach Bias of Internet Gaming Disorder.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Do Personality, Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy, and Depressive Symptomatology Affect Abstinence Status in Treatment-Seeking Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Personality-Related Factors and Depressive Symptomatology Predict Behavioral Control in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorders.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Clinical Relevance of Immersive Virtual Reality in the Assessment and Treatment of Addictive Disorders: A Systematic Review and Future Perspective.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Is Virtual Reality Cue Exposure a Promising Adjunctive Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder?Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Attentional Control Training for Treating Alcohol Use Disorder.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe approach-avoidance training program (AATP) has shown preliminary promise as an add-on to standard treatment for alcohol dependence. However, knowledge is lacking as to whether the effectiveness of AATP can be enhanced further when performed in a typical drinking situation. The main aim of this study is to investigate whether approach-avoidance training implemented in a virtual reality bar environment is superior to the classical joystick PC-version of the AATP.
methodsThe study will be implemented as a randomized controlled trial. A total of 204consecutively enrolled alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients, recruited from alcohol inpatient clinics in Germany, Poland and Denmark, will be randomized into one of three groups at the start of standard alcohol treatment: group A) stimuli-relevant AATP + treatment as usual (TAU); group B) stimuli-relevant AATP in virtual reality + TAU, and group C) TAU only (control group). Treatment outcomes will be assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment and 3-month follow-up. Repeated-measures ANOVA will be applied to compare the trajectories of the groups over time on drinking, craving and impulsiveness outcomes. It is hypothesized that the two experimental groups will achieve better treatment outcomes compared to group C and that group B will achieve better outcomes than group A. DISCUSSION: This study is the first trial examining the effectiveness of stimuli-relevant AATP delivered in a VR environment. The use of VR has shown promise in enhancing the effectiveness of other psychological treatments and since AATP has already been shown effective as add-on treatment, it is of interest to investigate whether these effects can be further enhanced by implementing the program in more ecologically valid environments. If proven effective, the AATP-VR can, like the AATP, be implemented easily and cheaply as add-on treatment or continued care to enhance the effectiveness of current evidence-based treatment.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04283305 Registration date: 24.02.20.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.