Health Technology/clinical-trials

Phase II Trial Compares Virtual Reality vs Traditional Telehealth for Animal Phobia Treatment — Novel Telemedicine Approach Under Investigation

247 Health News Editorial

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6 May 2026

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4 min read

·clinical-trials

University of South Florida launches Phase II trial comparing virtual reality telehealth against traditional telehealth for animal phobia treatment. The 240-participant study investigates whether VR-enhanced exposure therapy delivers superior outcomes for dog, snake, and spider phobias.

Originally reported by ClinicalTrials.gov

References

  1. 1.University of South Florida. (2024). Doxy.me VR vs. Telemental Health-Based Exposure Therapy: Phase II. ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT07558824. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07558824
  2. 2.Riva, G., Wiederhold, B. K., & Mantovani, F. (2019). Neuroscience of virtual reality: From virtual exposure to embodied medicine. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22(1), 82-96. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.29099.gri
  3. 3.Wolitzky-Taylor, K. B., Horowitz, J. D., Powers, M. B., & Telch, M. J. (2008). Psychological approaches in the treatment of specific phobias: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 28(6), 1021-1037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2008.06.003
  4. 4.Wardenaar, K. J., Lim, C. C., Al-Hamzawi, A. O., Alonso, J., Andrade, L. H., Benjet, C., ... & Kessler, R. C. (2017). The cross-national epidemiology of specific phobia in the World Mental Health Surveys. Psychological Medicine, 47(10), 1744-1760. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717000174
  5. 5.Fernández-Álvarez, J., Rozental, A., Carlbring, P., Colombo, D., Riva, G., Anderson, P. L., ... & Botella, C. (2019). Deterioration and drop-out in internet-based interventions for anxiety disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 116, 14-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.103418
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