Virtual reality takes on stage fright: new study for anxious students
NCT ID NCT07351409
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether adding virtual reality (VR) sessions to standard counseling helps university students with public speaking anxiety more than counseling alone. About 72 students will be randomly assigned to either counseling only or counseling plus VR exercises that simulate speaking in front of an audience. The goal is to see if VR can make students feel less anxious and more confident when speaking publicly.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 72 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Mar 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 40 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion criteria are: 1. current enrollment at the university; 2. request for psychological counseling at the UPCS; 3. fluency in Italian; 4. provision of written informed consent; 5. the presence of at least moderate levels of anxiety and perceived stress, as indicated by scores on standardized assessment instruments. Specifically, scores between STAI scores from 35 to 50 and PRPSA scores from 85 to 110. Exclusion criteria are: 1. current psychotic disorder; 2. acute suicidality; 3. severe substance dependence; 4. severe sensory or motor impairments that would prevent safe use of VR equipment; 5. inability to attend the planned sessions; 6. concurrent participation in other specialized psychotherapy programs.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Calabria
Rende, CS, 87036, Italy
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