Stopped: COVID-19 pandemic disrupted trial recruitment in 2020-2022. Cooperating healthcare centers lacked resources, and funding was exhausted, necessitating trial termination.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most prestigious psychological treatment for depression. However, not only do we need to increase its efficacy but also to widen the repertoire of evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions. The importance of the patient's engagement in treatment is highlighted in the literature as a key factor for a good therapeutic outcome over and above the type of therapy. In this sense, personal construct therapy (PCT), with some promising supporting evidence, is particularly suited to fit the personal values and attitudes of each patient. In contrast to CBT, PCT does not educate patients about depression and give them directions on the changes to be made in their dysfunctional behaviors or cognitions. Rather, PCT explores their coherence with respect to the person's sense of identity, their construction of self and others, and works with the conflicts or dilemmas that appear during this conjoint exploration using the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT). In this project, for the first time, the RGT will be implemented using Virtual Reality (VR). This format could be highly appealing for young people, thus facilitating their involvement in therapy. The efficacy of this innovative application of PCT using VR (PCT-VR) will be compared to usual PCT, and to CBT in a randomized clinical trial. The Beck Depression Inventory-II is the primary outcome measure for calculating both statistical and clinical significance, but other measures will also be used at pre-, post-therapy and six-month follow up. The trial will be done in a natural health context, mostly the usual primary care center of each patient, with those who consult during the active period of the study. Our research group has been working on both depression and personal construct theory for more than two decades (this includes our previous funded projects), particularly with a dilemma-focused intervention aimed to resolve the cognitive conflicts detected with the RGT. By fostering a technological innovation with VR, it is expected to boost the current efficacy of psychotherapy by increasing the engagement of young people and obtaining better outcomes. If these goals are met, a pathological evolution of the patient with its associated personal, health and social costs could be avoided.
Age range
18 Years – 29 Years
Sex
ALL
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AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
Change in Beck depression inventory second edition
Timeframe: BDI-II is administered at the end of therapy (10 weeks), and 6-month follow-up