ArticleTrials2026
Virtual reality exposure therapy with graded interviewer reactions for public speaking anxiety in university students: a randomized controlled trial protocol.
Article in Trials, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPublic speaking anxiety (PSA) significantly impairs academic and professional outcomes among university students. While virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) shows promise for PSA treatment, the specific contribution of social and emotional interviewer reactions remains unclear. This study examines whether VRET with graded interviewer reactions leads to greater reduction in public speaking anxiety than standard automated VR exposure.
methodsThis two-arm, parallel-group, superiority randomized controlled trial will recruit 92 Korean university students aged ≥18 years with elevated PRPSA (Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety-18 ≥ 58). Participants will be randomized 1:1 to receive either VR interview training with graded interviewer reactions or control VR training with automated voice prompts only. The intervention consists of three VR sessions, with assessments conducted at baseline, immediately after each session, and at 6- and 12-week follow-ups. The primary outcome is change from baseline in Public Speaking Anxiety Scale (PSAS) total scores at each post-baseline assessment occasion, analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model including fixed effects for group, assessment occasion, and their interaction. Secondary outcomes include Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale-Self Report and Fear of Negative Evaluation-Brief scores, as well as physiological indicators reflecting anxiety responses during VR exposure, including heart rate variability and electrodermal activity. Exploratory analyses will examine behavioral synchrony using motion energy analysis of video recordings and acoustic features of speech to capture anxiety-related movement and vocal patterns. DISCUSSION: This trial addresses the limited evidence regarding the added value of graded interviewer reactions in VRET for public speaking anxiety by examining whether they improve outcomes beyond those achieved with standard automated VR exposure. The findings may clarify the role of socially responsive feedback in virtual exposure and inform the development of VR-based anxiety interventions.
trial registrationClinical Research Information Service (CRiS) KCT0011111. Registered on 06 November 2025.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.