Specific PhobiaFobiAppNCT07813364
Facing Fears From Home: Development, Feasibility and Maximization of FobiApp
A study testing FobiApp AR Exposure therapy, Self-administered augmented reality exposure for cockroach phobia and FobiApp AR Exposure therapy + ABM, Self- administered augmented reality exposure combined with attentional bias modification training for cockroach phobia. in people with Specific Phobia, run by Universitat Jaume I at 1 site in Spain.
Trial summary
The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility (including usability, acceptance and satisfaction) and preliminary effectiveness of a smartphone App for self-administered exposure therapy using Augmented reality for cockroach phobia (FobiApp), compared to the same self-administered exposure therapy combined with… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Specific Phobia
- What is being tested?
- FobiApp AR Exposure therapy, Self-administered augmented reality exposure for cockroach phobia and FobiApp AR Exposure therapy + ABM, Self- administered augmented reality exposure combined with attentional bias modification training for cockroach phobia.
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSpain
- Study dates
- Oct 2026to 31 Aug 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age ≥ 18 years
- Meeting diagnostic criteria for Specific Phobia (animal subtype: cockroaches) based on DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria.
- Have had the phobia for at least one year.
- Having a score of at least 4 on the fear and avoidance scales of the administered diagnostic interview.
- Sign an informed consent.
- Having a smartphone and access to the Internet.
- Having an e-mail address.
Who cannot join
- Presence of another psychological problem that requires immediate attention
- Having current dependence or abuse of alcohol or drugs, psychosis or serious organic disease.
- Being currently treated in a similar treatment program.
- Being able to put his/her hands into a plastic container with a cockroach (during the behavioral test).
- Taking anxiolytics during the study (or if taking them, changing the drug or dose during the study).
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Spain1 site
Universitat Jaume I
Castellon, Valencia, 12006
Soledad Quero, Ph.D, +34 964 38 76 41, squero@uji.es
About this study
Official title: Facing Fears From Home. Development, Feasibility and Maximization of an App for Self-applied Exposure Treatment of Small Animal Phobia (FobiApp)
The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility (including usability, acceptance and satisfaction) and preliminary effectiveness of a smartphone App for self-administered exposure therapy using Augmented reality for cockroach phobia (FobiApp), compared to the same self-administered exposure therapy combined with training in attentional bias modification (ABM).
Read the detailed description
Specific phobia (SP) is an intense and disproportionate fear or anxiety response toward a specific object or situation, which is actively avoided or confronted with significant distress. The prevalence of specific phobias is high, with annual prevalence estimates ranging from 3% to 15%. Despite this, only a small proportion of affected individuals seek or receive psychological treatment.
Currently, the treatment of choice for specific phobias is exposure to the feared stimulus, which involves systematic and gradual confrontation to reduce fear responses. In vivo exposure therapy, which consists of direct confrontation with the feared stimulus in real-life situations, has the strongest empirical support, although it has certain limitations. Although exposure therapy is the gold-standard treatment, barriers such as patient reluctance and logistical constraints limit its dissemination. Technological advances, including augmented reality-based exposure and attentional bias modification, have emerged as promising approaches to increase accessibility and effectiveness of interventions.
This study will be conducted following the extension of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement for pilot and feasibility studies, the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials of Electronic and Mobile Health Applications and online
TeleHealth guidelines, and the Standard Protocol Items:
Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines.
Specific objectives of the study include: (1) To analyse the feasibility of different recruitment and data collection methods (e.g., how broad or restrictive are the eligibility criteria, how willing are patients to participate, time needed to collect data), (2) To explore reasons for non-participation and drop-outs from treatment, (3) To assess patient satisfaction and acceptance of treatment (both quantitatively and qualitatively), (4) In addition, as a secondary objective to explore the potential effectiveness of the treatment at post-treatment and treatment at post-treatment and follow- up. A total of 40 participants will be included in the feasibility trial, with 20 participants per group.
Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics to summarize sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, as well as feasibility outcomes including recruitment, adherence, and dropout rates. Normality assumptions will be assessed prior to analysis. Feasibility indicators will be expressed as percentages with confidence intervals. Preliminary efficacy outcomes will be explored using within-group (pre-post and follow-up) and between-group comparisons, and effect sizes will be calculated. Quantitative analyses will be performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Qualitative data will be analyzed using thematic analysis to identify themes related to acceptability and user experience.
- Conditions
- Specific Phobia
- Being tested
- FobiApp AR Exposure therapy, Self-administered augmented reality exposure for cockroach phobia, FobiApp AR Exposure therapy + ABM, Self- administered augmented reality exposure combined with attentional bias modification training for cockroach phobia.
- Keywords
- Attention Bias Modification, Augmented Reality, Cockroach Phobia, Cognitive Bias Modification, Exposure Therapy, Mobile Application, Animal Phobia
- Medical subject headings
- Phobia, Specific, Zoophobia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
FobiApp AR Exposure therapy, Self-administered augmented reality exposure for cockroach phobiaBehavioural
The intervention will be delivered through a mobile application (FobiApp) that offers AR self-exposure therapy and ABM training for cockroach phobia. The AR Exposure Module consists of progressively increasing levels of difficulty and intensity, controlled by predefined variables (number of cockroaches, location, and required behavior). These levels are interspersed with psychoeducation (addressing fear, anxiety, and the justification for exposure) and educational information to debunk catastrophic beliefs. Participants are instructed to use the AR module for two weeks, at least three times per week, for 30 minutes per session.
FobiApp AR Exposure therapy + ABM, Self- administered augmented reality exposure combined with attentional bias modification training for cockroach phobia.Behavioural
The ABM Module (administered once participants in Arm 2 have completed the exposure module) presents different levels that require specific behaviors, such as directing initial attention to a positive stimulus instead of the cockroach and maintaining visual attention on the cockroaches for an extended period. This training aims to systematically modify hypervigilance and sustained attentional biases inherent in cockroach phobia.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| FobiApp with self-administered AR exposure therapy alone. | Active comparator | Participants receive the standard intervention consisting solely of the self-administered AR exposure therapy module via FobiaApp. Compliance requires utilizing the app for 30 minutes per session, 3 times per week for 2 weeks period. Receives: Behavioral: FobiApp AR Exposure therapy, Self-administered augmented reality exposure for cockroach phobia |
| FobiApp with AR exposure therapy combined with ABM. | Active comparator | Participants first complete the augmented reality exposure therapy module following the same protocol (30 minutes per session, 3 times per week for 2 weeks). Following this, for an additional two weeks, participants complete the ABM training module. This module requires participants to complete progressive levels of ABM that involve, on the one hand, changes aimed at reducing the initial rapid detection of cockroaches (hypervigilance bias) and, on the other hand, prolonged visual focus on cockroaches to produce changes aimed at reducing avoidance behavior (avoidance bias) and thus address and modify attentional biases related to the phobia (hypervigilance-avoidance attentional biases). Receives: Behavioral: FobiApp AR Exposure therapy + ABM, Self- administered augmented reality exposure combined with attentional bias modification training for cockroach phobia. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Expectations and Satisfaction Questionnaire adapted from Borkovec and Nau (1972).
Participants' expectations and Satisfaction about the intervention will be assessed before the start of the treatment using the Expectations and Satisfaction Scales adapted from Borkovec and Nau (1972). This questionnaire consists of two different scales. Both include 6 items rated from 1 ("Not at all") to 10 ("Highly"), and provide information on the degree to which: 1) the treatment is perceived as logical; 2) patients are satisfied 3) would recommend the treatment to a friend with the same problem; 4) the treatment would be useful for treating other psychological problems; 5) patients perceive the treatment as useful for their specific problem; and 6) the treatment is perceived as aversive.
Measured: Baseline (pre-treatment), immediately after the intervention (post-treatment) and follow-up 6 months after the intervention
Quantitative and qualitative opinion measure
Participants' satisfaction and opinions about the intervention A semi-structured opinion interview including both quantitative and qualitative questions will be administered, adapted from a previous feasibility study conducted by the research group (Mor et al., 2022).
Measured: immediately after the intervention (post-treatment)
Total score obtained in System Usability Scale (SUS)
Users respond to 10 statements using a 5-point Likert scale (where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree, offering a final score from 0 to 100.
Measured: immediately after the intervention (post-treatment)
Secondary outcomes (4)
Change in Behavioral Avoidance Test (BAT; adapted from Öst, Salkovskis, & Hellström's, 1991).
Behavioral avoidance will be assessed using a Behavioral Avoidance Test (BAT), adapted from Öst, Salkovskis, and Hellström (1991), which measures participants' ability to approach cockroach-related stimuli during a structured behavioral task.
Measured: Baseline (pre-treatment), immediately after the intervention (post-treatment) and follow-up 6 months after the intervention
Change in Fear of Cockroaches Questionnaire (adapted from Fear of Spiders Questionnaire; FSQ, Szymanski &; O'Donohue, 1995).
Fear of cockroaches will be assessed using the Fear of Spiders Questionnaire adapted for cockroach phobia (FSQ; adapted from Szymanski \& O\'Donohue, 1995). This self-report questionnaire measures the intensity of fear associated with cockroach-related situations.
Measured: Baseline (pre-treatment), immediately after the intervention (post-treatment) and follow-up 6 months after the intervention
Change in attentional biases.
Attentional bias will be measured using an eye-tracking task designed to assess visual attention patterns (hypervigilance and sustained attention) toward cockroach-related stimuli. Specifically, this task assessesthe attentional biases in terms of total time spent in looking at cockroaches, first fixation direction and the number and duration of fixations.
Measured: Baseline (pre-treatment), after the intervention (post- treatment), and 6 months after the intervention
Change in Fear and Avoidance Scales (adapted from Marks & Mathews, 1979).
Patient improvement will be assessed using The Clinician Severity Scale (adapted from Di Nardo, Brown \& Barlow, 1994). which rates overall clinical change following the intervention assessed by the clinician.
Measured: Baseline (pre-treatment), after the intervention (post-treatment), and follow-up 6 months after the intervention.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Sep 2026
- Study startOct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion28 Feb 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Aug 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (20)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Specific PhobiaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants will be assessed for eligibility and if they meet the inclusion criteria, they will be randomly assigned to one of two parallel groups (FobiApp with self-administered AR exposure therapy or FobiApp with self-administered AR exposure combined with ABM). The allocation schedule will be generated through an independent researcher who will be unaware of the characteristics of the study. Patients will agree to participate before the random allocation and without knowing to which treatment they will be assigned.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Universitat Jaume I
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Generalitat Valenciana
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Soledad Quero, Ph.D, Principal investigator, Department of Basic, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, SpainAlmudena Duque, Ph.D, Study director, School of Psychology, Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain.Lucía V Gómez-Fernández, Master's degree, Study chair, Department of Basic, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07813364
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Ujaume I_FobiApp
- Other IDs
- CIAICO/2024/66
- Acronym
- FobiApp
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 23 Jul 2026
- Last updated
- 10 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Only aggregated data will be shared. If additional data are requested for scientific purposes or to support published findings, they will be provided in an anonymized form and in accordance with applicable ethical and data protection regulations.
Publications
Wechsler TF, Kumpers F, Muhlberger A. Inferiority or Even Superiority of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in Phobias?-A Systematic Review and Quantitative Meta-Analysis on Randomized Controlled Trials Specifically Comparing the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Exposure to Gold Standard in vivo Exposure in Agoraphobia, Specific Phobia, and Social Phobia. Front Psychol. 2019 Sep 10;10:1758. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01758. eCollection 2019.
PubMed 31551840Wardenaar KJ, Lim CCW, Al-Hamzawi AO, Alonso J, Andrade LH, Benjet C, Bunting B, de Girolamo G, Demyttenaere K, Florescu SE, Gureje O, Hisateru T, Hu C, Huang Y, Karam E, Kiejna A, Lepine JP, Navarro-Mateu F, Oakley Browne M, Piazza M, Posada-Villa J, Ten Have ML, Torres Y, Xavier M, Zarkov Z, Kessler RC, Scott KM, de Jonge P. The cross-national epidemiology of specific phobia in the World Mental Health Surveys. Psychol Med. 2017 Jul;47(10):1744-1760. doi: 10.1017/S0033291717000174. Epub 2017 Feb 22.
PubMed 28222820Olatunji, B. O., Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2009). The Cruelest Cure? Ethical Issues in the Implementation of Exposure-Based Treatments. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 16(2), 172-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2008.07.003
Nathan, P., & Gorman, J. (2015). A guide to treatments that work (P. Nathan & J. Gorman (eds.)). Oxford University Press.
Mogoase C, David D, Koster EH. Clinical efficacy of attentional bias modification procedures: an updated meta-analysis. J Clin Psychol. 2014 Dec;70(12):1133-57. doi: 10.1002/jclp.22081. Epub 2014 Mar 20.
PubMed 24652823Kazdin, A. E., & Rabbitt, S. M. (2013). Novel Models for Delivering Mental Health Services and Reducing the Burdens of Mental Illness. Clinical Psychological Science, 1(2), 170-191. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702612463566
Grimaldos, J., Duque, A., Bretón-López, J., Díaz-Sanahuja, L. y Quero, S. (2024). Is everyone afraid of them? Attentional biases in cockroach phobia: Evidence from eye-tracking. Submitted to Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry.
Garcia-Palacios A, Botella C, Hoffman H, Fabregat S. Comparing acceptance and refusal rates of virtual reality exposure vs. in vivo exposure by patients with specific phobias. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2007 Oct;10(5):722-4. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2007.9962.
PubMed 17927544Fox E, Zougkou K, Ashwin C, Cahill S. Investigating the efficacy of attention bias modification in reducing high spider fear: The role of individual differences in initial bias. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2015 Dec;49(Pt A):84-93. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.05.001. Epub 2015 May 13.
PubMed 26060177Fodor LA, Georgescu R, Cuijpers P, Szamoskozi S, David D, Furukawa TA, Cristea IA. Efficacy of cognitive bias modification interventions in anxiety and depressive disorders: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020 Jun;7(6):506-514. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30130-9. Epub 2020 May 20.
PubMed 32445689Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B. Specific phobias. Lancet Psychiatry. 2018 Aug;5(8):678-686. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-X.
PubMed 30060873Craske, M. G., Antony, M. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2006). Mastering your fears and phobias. Oxford University Press.
Clauss K, Gorday JY, Bardeen JR. Eye tracking evidence of threat-related attentional bias in anxiety- and fear-related disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev. 2022 Apr;93:102142. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102142. Epub 2022 Mar 7.
PubMed 35279537Carl E, Stein AT, Levihn-Coon A, Pogue JR, Rothbaum B, Emmelkamp P, Asmundson GJG, Carlbring P, Powers MB. Virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Anxiety Disord. 2019 Jan;61:27-36. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.08.003. Epub 2018 Aug 10.
PubMed 30287083Botella, C., Baños, R. M., García-Palacios, A., & Quero, S. (2017). Virtual Reality and Other Realities. In The Science of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (pp. 551-590). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803457- 6.00022-2
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 10 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Facing Fears From Home. Development, Feasibility and Maximization of an App for Self-applied Exposure Treatment of Small Animal Phobia (FobiApp)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07813364
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- FobiApp / Ujaume I_FobiApp
- Conditions
- Specific Phobia
- Keywords
- Attention Bias Modification, Augmented Reality, Cockroach Phobia, Cognitive Bias Modification, Exposure Therapy, Mobile Application, Animal Phobia
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Universitat Jaume IUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Generalitat Valenciana
- Study start
- Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 28 Feb 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility (including usability, acceptance and satisfaction) and preliminary effectiveness of a smartphone App for self-administered exposure therapy using Augmented reality for cockroach phobia (FobiApp), compared to the same self-administered exposure therapy combined with training in attentional bias modification (ABM).
Detailed description
Specific phobia (SP) is an intense and disproportionate fear or anxiety response toward a specific object or situation, which is actively avoided or confronted with significant distress. The prevalence of specific phobias is high, with annual prevalence estimates ranging from 3% to 15%. Despite this, only a small proportion of affected individuals seek or receive psychological treatment.
Currently, the treatment of choice for specific phobias is exposure to the feared stimulus, which involves systematic and gradual confrontation to reduce fear responses. In vivo exposure therapy, which consists of direct confrontation with the feared stimulus in real-life situations, has the strongest empirical support, although it has certain limitations. Although exposure therapy is the gold-standard treatment, barriers such as patient reluctance and logistical constraints limit its dissemination. Technological advances, including augmented reality-based exposure and attentional bias modification, have emerged as promising approaches to increase accessibility and effectiveness of interventions.
This study will be conducted following the extension of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement for pilot and feasibility studies, the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials of Electronic and Mobile Health Applications and online
TeleHealth guidelines, and the Standard Protocol Items:
Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines.
Specific objectives of the study include: (1) To analyse the feasibility of different recruitment and data collection methods (e.g., how broad or restrictive are the eligibility criteria, how willing are patients to participate, time needed to collect data), (2) To explore reasons for non-participation and drop-outs from treatment, (3) To assess patient satisfaction and acceptance of treatment (both quantitatively and qualitatively), (4) In addition, as a secondary objective to explore the potential effectiveness of the treatment at post-treatment and treatment at post-treatment and follow- up. A total of 40 participants will be included in the feasibility trial, with 20 participants per group.
Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics to summarize sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, as well as feasibility outcomes including recruitment, adherence, and dropout rates. Normality assumptions will be assessed prior to analysis. Feasibility indicators will be expressed as percentages with confidence intervals. Preliminary efficacy outcomes will be explored using within-group (pre-post and follow-up) and between-group comparisons, and effect sizes will be calculated. Quantitative analyses will be performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Qualitative data will be analyzed using thematic analysis to identify themes related to acceptability and user experience.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants will be assessed for eligibility and if they meet the inclusion criteria, they will be randomly assigned to one of two parallel groups (FobiApp with self-administered AR exposure therapy or FobiApp with self-administered AR exposure combined with ABM). The allocation schedule will be generated through an independent researcher who will be unaware of the characteristics of the study. Patients will agree to participate before the random allocation and without knowing to which treatment they will be assigned.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| FobiApp with self-administered AR exposure therapy alone. | Active comparator | Behavioral: FobiApp AR Exposure therapy, Self-administered augmented reality exposure for cockroach phobiaParticipants receive the standard intervention consisting solely of the self-administered AR exposure therapy module via FobiaApp. Compliance requires utilizing the app for 30 minutes per session, 3 times per week for 2 weeks period. |
| FobiApp with AR exposure therapy combined with ABM. | Active comparator | Behavioral: FobiApp AR Exposure therapy + ABM, Self- administered augmented reality exposure combined with attentional bias modification training for cockroach phobia.Participants first complete the augmented reality exposure therapy module following the same protocol (30 minutes per session, 3 times per week for 2 weeks). Following this, for an additional two weeks, participants complete the ABM training module. This module requires participants to complete progressive levels of ABM that involve, on the one hand, changes aimed at reducing the initial rapid detection of cockroaches (hypervigilance bias) and, on the other hand, prolonged visual focus on cockroaches to produce changes aimed at reducing avoidance behavior (avoidance bias) and thus address and modify attentional biases related to the phobia (hypervigilance-avoidance attentional biases). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Age ≥ 18 years
- Meeting diagnostic criteria for Specific Phobia (animal subtype: cockroaches) based on DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria.
- Have had the phobia for at least one year.
- Having a score of at least 4 on the fear and avoidance scales of the administered diagnostic interview.
- Sign an informed consent.
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Presence of another psychological problem that requires immediate attention
- Having current dependence or abuse of alcohol or drugs, psychosis or serious organic disease.
- Being currently treated in a similar treatment program.
- Being able to put his/her hands into a plastic container with a cockroach (during the behavioral test).
- Taking anxiolytics during the study (or if taking them, changing the drug or dose during the study).
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| FobiApp AR Exposure therapy, Self-administered augmented reality exposure for cockroach phobiaThe intervention will be delivered through a mobile application (FobiApp) that offers AR self-exposure therapy and ABM training for cockroach phobia. The AR Exposure Module consists of progressively increasing levels of difficulty and intensity, controlled by predefined variables (number of cockroaches, location, and required behavior). These levels are interspersed with psychoeducation (addressing fear, anxiety, and the justification for exposure) and educational information to debunk catastrophic beliefs. Participants are instructed to use the AR module for two weeks, at least three times per week, for 30 minutes per session. | Behavioural | FobiApp with self-administered AR exposure therapy alone. |
| FobiApp AR Exposure therapy + ABM, Self- administered augmented reality exposure combined with attentional bias modification training for cockroach phobia.The ABM Module (administered once participants in Arm 2 have completed the exposure module) presents different levels that require specific behaviors, such as directing initial attention to a positive stimulus instead of the cockroach and maintaining visual attention on the cockroaches for an extended period. This training aims to systematically modify hypervigilance and sustained attentional biases inherent in cockroach phobia. | Behavioural | FobiApp with AR exposure therapy combined with ABM. |
Primary outcome
Expectations and Satisfaction Questionnaire adapted from Borkovec and Nau (1972).
Time frame: Baseline (pre-treatment), immediately after the intervention (post-treatment) and follow-up 6 months after the intervention
Participants' expectations and Satisfaction about the intervention will be assessed before the start of the treatment using the Expectations and Satisfaction Scales adapted from Borkovec and Nau (1972). This questionnaire consists of two different scales. Both include 6 items rated from 1 ("Not at all") to 10 ("Highly"), and provide information on the degree to which: 1) the treatment is perceived as logical; 2) patients are satisfied 3) would recommend the treatment to a friend with the same problem; 4) the treatment would be useful for treating other psychological problems; 5) patients perceive the treatment as useful for their specific problem; and 6) the treatment is perceived as aversive.
Quantitative and qualitative opinion measure
Time frame: immediately after the intervention (post-treatment)
Participants' satisfaction and opinions about the intervention A semi-structured opinion interview including both quantitative and qualitative questions will be administered, adapted from a previous feasibility study conducted by the research group (Mor et al., 2022).
Total score obtained in System Usability Scale (SUS)
Time frame: immediately after the intervention (post-treatment)
Users respond to 10 statements using a 5-point Likert scale (where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree, offering a final score from 0 to 100.
4 secondary outcomes
Change in Behavioral Avoidance Test (BAT; adapted from Öst, Salkovskis, & Hellström's, 1991).
Time frame: Baseline (pre-treatment), immediately after the intervention (post-treatment) and follow-up 6 months after the intervention
Change in Fear of Cockroaches Questionnaire (adapted from Fear of Spiders Questionnaire; FSQ, Szymanski &; O'Donohue, 1995).
Time frame: Baseline (pre-treatment), immediately after the intervention (post-treatment) and follow-up 6 months after the intervention
Change in attentional biases.
Time frame: Baseline (pre-treatment), after the intervention (post- treatment), and 6 months after the intervention
Change in Fear and Avoidance Scales (adapted from Marks & Mathews, 1979).
Time frame: Baseline (pre-treatment), after the intervention (post-treatment), and follow-up 6 months after the intervention.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 10 Sep 2026.
- Background: PubMed 31551840Wechsler TF, Kumpers F, Muhlberger A. Inferiority or Even Superiority of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in Phobias?-A Systematic Review and Quantitative Meta-Analysis on Randomized Controlled Trials Specifically Comparing the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Exposure to Gold Standard in vivo Exposure in Agoraphobia, Specific Phobia, and Social Phobia. Front Psychol. 2019 Sep 10;10:1758. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01758. eCollection 2019.
- Background: PubMed 28222820Wardenaar KJ, Lim CCW, Al-Hamzawi AO, Alonso J, Andrade LH, Benjet C, Bunting B, de Girolamo G, Demyttenaere K, Florescu SE, Gureje O, Hisateru T, Hu C, Huang Y, Karam E, Kiejna A, Lepine JP, Navarro-Mateu F, Oakley Browne M, Piazza M, Posada-Villa J, Ten Have ML, Torres Y, Xavier M, Zarkov Z, Kessler RC, Scott KM, de Jonge P. The cross-national epidemiology of specific phobia in the World Mental Health Surveys. Psychol Med. 2017 Jul;47(10):1744-1760. doi: 10.1017/S0033291717000174. Epub 2017 Feb 22.
- BackgroundOlatunji, B. O., Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2009). The Cruelest Cure? Ethical Issues in the Implementation of Exposure-Based Treatments. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 16(2), 172-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2008.07.003
- BackgroundNathan, P., & Gorman, J. (2015). A guide to treatments that work (P. Nathan & J. Gorman (eds.)). Oxford University Press.
- Background: PubMed 24652823Mogoase C, David D, Koster EH. Clinical efficacy of attentional bias modification procedures: an updated meta-analysis. J Clin Psychol. 2014 Dec;70(12):1133-57. doi: 10.1002/jclp.22081. Epub 2014 Mar 20.
- BackgroundKazdin, A. E., & Rabbitt, S. M. (2013). Novel Models for Delivering Mental Health Services and Reducing the Burdens of Mental Illness. Clinical Psychological Science, 1(2), 170-191. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702612463566
- BackgroundGrimaldos, J., Duque, A., Bretón-López, J., Díaz-Sanahuja, L. y Quero, S. (2024). Is everyone afraid of them? Attentional biases in cockroach phobia: Evidence from eye-tracking. Submitted to Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry.
- Background: PubMed 17927544Garcia-Palacios A, Botella C, Hoffman H, Fabregat S. Comparing acceptance and refusal rates of virtual reality exposure vs. in vivo exposure by patients with specific phobias. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2007 Oct;10(5):722-4. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2007.9962.
- Background: PubMed 26060177Fox E, Zougkou K, Ashwin C, Cahill S. Investigating the efficacy of attention bias modification in reducing high spider fear: The role of individual differences in initial bias. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2015 Dec;49(Pt A):84-93. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.05.001. Epub 2015 May 13.
- Background: PubMed 32445689Fodor LA, Georgescu R, Cuijpers P, Szamoskozi S, David D, Furukawa TA, Cristea IA. Efficacy of cognitive bias modification interventions in anxiety and depressive disorders: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020 Jun;7(6):506-514. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30130-9. Epub 2020 May 20.
- Background: PubMed 30060873Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B. Specific phobias. Lancet Psychiatry. 2018 Aug;5(8):678-686. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-X.
- BackgroundCraske, M. G., Antony, M. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2006). Mastering your fears and phobias. Oxford University Press.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Only aggregated data will be shared. If additional data are requested for scientific purposes or to support published findings, they will be provided in an anonymized form and in accordance with applicable ethical and data protection regulations.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Soledad Quero, Ph.D principal investigator
Department of Basic, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
Almudena Duque, Ph.D study director
School of Psychology, Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain.
Lucía V Gómez-Fernández, Master's degree study chair
Department of Basic, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing FobiApp AR Exposure therapy, Self-administered augmented reality exposure for cockroach phobia and FobiApp AR Exposure therapy + ABM, Self- administered augmented reality exposure combined with attentional bias modification training for cockroach phobia. in people with Specific Phobia, run by Universitat Jaume I at 1 site in Spain.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Spain. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Soledad Quero, Ph.D (+34 964 38 76 41, squero@uji.es), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Expectations and Satisfaction Questionnaire adapted from Borkovec and Nau (1972). (time frame: Baseline (pre-treatment), immediately after the intervention (post-treatment) and follow-up 6 months after the intervention). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07813364, which also lists 20 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 10 Sep 2026.