NCT04467502 Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Gambling Disorder
| NCT ID | NCT04467502 |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Phase | — |
| Sponsor | University Hospital, Lille |
| Condition | Gambling Disorder |
| Study Type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Enrollment | 124 participants |
| Start Date | 2023-07-12 |
| Primary Completion | 2027-07 |
Eligibility & Interventions
Eligibility Fast-Check
Enter your details for a quick preliminary check. This does not replace medical advice.
What to Expect as a Participant
You will actively receive the study intervention — which may be a drug, biologic, device, or procedure.
This trial targets 124 participants in total. It began in 2023-07-12 with a primary completion date of 2027-07.
⚠ This information is for research awareness only. Always consult your physician before joining any clinical trial. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.
Brief Summary
Gambling disorder (GD) is recognized as an addictive disorder in the DSM-5. Craving is a core phenomenon in addiction that can lead to relapse in problem gambling for pathological gamblers. Exposure Therapy (ET) focuses on craving in addiction treatment. ET in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is based on classical conditioning that addresses the association between contextual cues and the craving response. ET helps the patient to reduce craving when faced with cues triggering craving. ET includes in vivo exposure and imaginal exposure. The literature recommends being as close as possible to the context of addiction to facilitate the extinction of craving but in vivo ET is complicated to perform. For GD, in outpatient consultation, bringing a patient to a casino presents obstacles (e.g., time, human and financial cost, agreement with casino for therapy). The study will be to assess the effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) in a virtual gambling environment. Various trials show that VRET is no more or less effective than classical ET in CBT but has other advantages for motivation to treatment. This research aims to compare efficacy between CBT with VRET and CBT with imaginal exposure for treatment of GD in a multicenter, randomized, controlled, non-inferiority clinical trial.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Seek treatment for GD within one of health care facilities participating in the research (first request for treatment and not patients already receiving treatment for gambling disorder in the care center). * Meet a current diagnosis of gambling disorder according to DSM-5 criteria and with a South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) score ≥ 5 * Meet a casino gambling behavior with a casino gambling frequency ≥ 1 time every two months during the last 12 months * Have a sufficient understanding of French for therapy * Beneficiary of the French social security system * Give an informed consent to participate * Willing to comply with all study procedures and duration Exclusion Criteria: * Visual disturbance making impossible the use of virtual reality equipment (e.g. advanced retinal degeneration, central scotoma, age-related macular degeneration) * Pregnant woman * Minor or adult under guardianship, conservatorship, under judicial protection, persons deprived of their liberty * Balance disorder (e.g. cerebellar disorder, inner ear disorder) * Photosensitive epilepsy * Refusal to participate
Contact & Investigator
Pierre TAQUET, PhD
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
University Hospital, Lille
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can join the NCT04467502 clinical trial?
This trial is open to participants of all sexes, aged 18 Years or older, studying Gambling Disorder. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria are listed in the Eligibility Criteria section. Always confirm your eligibility with the research team before applying.
Is NCT04467502 currently recruiting?
Yes, NCT04467502 is actively recruiting participants. Contact the research team at pierre.taquet@chru-lille.fr for enrollment information.
Where is the NCT04467502 trial being conducted?
This trial is being conducted at Amiens, France, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, Caen, France, Lille, France and 6 additional locations.
Who is sponsoring the NCT04467502 clinical trial?
NCT04467502 is sponsored by University Hospital, Lille. The principal investigator is Pierre TAQUET, PhD at University Hospital, Lille. The trial plans to enroll 124 participants.