Virtual Reality Mindfulness for Aggression in Schizophrenia
This study is testing if a special virtual reality (VR) program, called Mindfulness-Based Virtual Reality Intervention (MBI VR), can help reduce aggressive behaviors in people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Researchers want to see if MBI VR improves how people manage their emotions. You could be eligible if you are between 18 and 64 years old, speak English, and are willing to follow study requirements. The study plans to enroll 58 participants. Success will be measured by changes in impulsive behavior and aggression scales, and symptom severity, after 4 and 6 weeks of using the VR program.
- Study design
- This is a randomized study comparing two different amounts of MBI VR (16 or 24 sessions) to a control group using distraction tasks, involving 58 participants.
- What's involved
- You would attend study visits, complete repeated mindfulness VR sessions or distraction tasks, and have assessments at baseline, week 4, and week 6.
- Compensation
- Not stated in the trial record.
- Follow-up
- Your progress will be measured at 4 and 6 weeks after starting the intervention.
AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.
A Virtual Reality Mindfulness Application for Aggression in Schizophrenia
At a glance
Conditions
Where it's being run
2 sites across 1 statesStudy leadership
- Anzalee Khan, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research
- Jean-Pierre Lindenmayer, MD · STUDY_DIRECTOR · Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research
Who to contact
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What this trial measures
- Short UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior ScaleWill be conducted at Baseline (Day 1), Week 4 (after completion of 16 sessions of MBI-VR or Distraction Tasks), Week 6 (after completion of 24 sessions of MPV-VR or Distraction Tasks)
The Short UPPS-P is an instrument composed of 20 items rated on a four-point Likert scale: (1) disagree strongly, (2) disagree some, (3) agree some, and (4) agree strongly. Five scales were computed by adding the 4 items corresponding to each scale: (1) negative urgency (NU), the tendency to act impulsively when experiencing negative emotions (e.g., sadness, anger); (2) positive urgency (PU), the tendency to act rashly under extreme positive emotions or excitement; (3) sensation seeking (SS), the tendency to seek out novel and thrilling experiences, often involving risk; (4) lack of perseveration (PE), the inability to stay focused on a task, especially when it becomes difficult or boring; and (5) lack of premeditation (PR), difficulty thinking and reflecting on the consequences of an act before engaging in it. Each scale ranges from 4 to 16.
- Impulsive-Premeditated Aggression ScaleBaseline (Day 1), Week 4 (after 16 sessions), Week 6 (after 24 sessions)
The Impulsive-Premeditated Aggression Scale (IPAS; Mathias et al., 2007) will be administered at screening, baseline, after completion of 16 sessions and after completion of 24 sessions. The IPAS is a 30-item self-report questionnaire used to rate aggressive acts occurring over the past six months. Items are scored on a five-point scale (1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Neutral; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly Agree). The scale differentiates three factors -premeditated aggression, here referred to as 'PM' and impulsive aggression, here referred to as 'IA'-that can be scored either dimensionally or categorically, and Familiarity Items (Stanford MS, Classification procedures, unpublished manual). Discrete categories (impulsive vs premeditated) are obtained by a categorical approach in which only the percentage of the positive items (5 = strongly agree or 4 = agree) for each aggression scale is calculated (Stanford MS, Classification procedures, unpublished manual).
- Positive and Negative Syndrome ScaleBaseline (Day 1), Week 4 (after 16 sessions), Week 6 (after 24 sessions)
The PANSS will be used to assess psychopathology. The PANSS is a 30-item, clinician-administered assessment that provides scores for positive, negative, and general psychopathology symptoms. The PANSS Excitement Component (PANSS EC; Lindenmayer et al., 2004a; Faay et al., 2018, Lindenmayer et al., 2004b, Montoya et al., 2011) will be examined to assess change in aggressive behaviors. Each PANSS item is scored from 1 to 7, with a minimum score of 30 and a maximum score of 210.