Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35597959›Full record

ArticleTrials2022

Self-guided digital treatment with virtual reality for panic disorder and agoraphobia: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Jari Planert, Alla Machulska, Anne-Sophie Hildebrand, Kati Roesmann, Esra Otto, Tim Klucken

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07391943 (Efficacy of a Self-Guided Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Protocol Via Mobile Application in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Panic Disorder), which is not on this map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT07391943 completednot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Efficacy of a Self-Guided Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Protocol Via Mobile Application in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Panic Disorder: An Open-Label Trial

Typeobservational_patient_registrySponsorUniversidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroRan2024 to 2025Enrolled45ConditionsPanic DisorderArmsExperimental - Self-Guided CBT Mobile App
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Panic Disorder in the Last Decade: A Systematic Review.Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health : CP & EMH · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Jari Planert *Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Obergraben 23, 57072, Siegen, Germany. jari.planert@uni-siegen.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8088-2511
Alla Machulska *Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Obergraben 23, 57072, Siegen, Germany.
Anne-Sophie HildebrandDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Obergraben 23, 57072, Siegen, Germany.
Kati RoesmannDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Obergraben 23, 57072, Siegen, Germany.
Esra OttoDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Obergraben 23, 57072, Siegen, Germany.
Tim KluckenDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Obergraben 23, 57072, Siegen, Germany.
University of Siegen · DE

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 2493/1: 398510439
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCognitive behavioral therapy is the first-line treatment for patients with panic disorder (PD) and agoraphobia (AG). Yet, many patients remain untreated due to limited treatment resources. Digital self-guided short-term treatment applications may help to overcome this issue. While some therapeutic applications are already supported by health insurance companies, data on their efficacy is limited. The current study investigates the effect of self-guided digital treatment comprising psychoeducation and virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET).

methodsThirty patients diagnosed with PD, AG, or panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) will be randomly assigned to either the experimental group (EG) or the control group (CG). Participants of both groups will undergo baseline diagnostics in the first two sessions. The subsequent treatment for the EG consists of a self-guided 6-week phase of application-based psychoeducation, one therapy session preparing for the VRET, and 4 weeks of application-based self-guided VRET. To control for the potential effects of the therapy session with the therapist, the CG will receive relaxation and stress-reduction training instead. All patients will then undergo a closing session which terminates with the post-assessment (~ 10 weeks after baseline assessment) and a follow-up assessment 6 weeks following the closing session. Symptom severity (primary outcome) will be assessed at baseline, interim, post-treatment, and follow-up. Additionally, remission status (secondary outcome) will be obtained at follow-up. Both measures will be compared between the groups. DISCUSSION: The current study aims at providing insights into the efficacy of short-term treatment applications including psychoeducation and self-guided VRET. If successful, this approach might be a feasible and promising way to ease the burden of PD, AG, and PDA on the public health system and contribute to a faster access to treatment.

trial registrationISRCTN ISRCTN10661970 . Prospectively registered on 17 January 2022.

Indexed as

Cognitive Behavioral TherapyPanic DisorderVirtual RealityVirtual Reality Exposure TherapyAgoraphobiaHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeAgoraphobiaCognitive behavioral therapyE-healthPanic disorderSelf-guided helpShort-term treatmentVirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID35597959
PMCPMC9123669
OpenAlexW4281251125

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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.