An interventional study of SHINE-VR in Shame, sponsored by Universiteit Leiden. Completed at 5 sites in Netherlands. Open to participants aged 12 Years to 17 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-15.
Sponsored by Universiteit Leiden · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Suffering from PTSD in childhood can have detrimental formative consequences. Researchers have been eager to develop effective interventions and to enhance treatment motivation since the introduction of the diagnosis of PTSD in the DSM. With evolving understanding of the disorder, its definition and criteria have changed over the course of time. The most recent change involves the addition of the criterium D of negative affects or emotions in relation to PTSD, the feeling of shame amongst others. Individuals experiencing interpersonal trauma, such as sexual abuse, are at high-risk developing trauma-related shame, which in turn can impact the course and effectiveness of PTSD treatment. Shame-inducing situations are typically being avoided, and the feelings are not disclosed to peers and other people. Hence, acknowledging and sharing feelings of shame as well as practicing self-compassion have been proposed to reduce the impact of that negative self-conscious emotion. These aspects get partially tackled in evidence-based trauma therapies, however, there appears to be a need for a more specific trauma-related shame intervention in addition to existing treatments. Recent research has focused on developing such interventions for adults and has reported positive effects.
To our knowledge, there is no intervention specifically tackling trauma-related shame in adolescents. Virtual Reality (VR) is a promising tool for such an intervention. Findings suggest that including VR in a treatment results in high treatment satisfaction and that it is highly motivating for its users, which is a crucial component for treatment success.
The goal of this study is to test the effectiveness of a short-term VR shame intervention (SHINE-VR) for adolescents suffering from PTSD after having experienced sexual abuse. The primary objectives of this study to assess the effect of SHINE-VR on trauma-related shame, self-compassion, and PTSD symptom reduction, to investigate whether treatment motivation, an increase in self-compassion, and a decrease in trauma-related shame are associated with PTSD symptom reduction.
Universiteit Leiden is the lead sponsor of 14 studies on the registry; 7 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants will receive SHINE-VR additionally to regular trauma treatment. The baseline phase starts after trauma processing, e.g. after module 6 of TF-CBT or processing of the traumatic event with EMDR. This group has a one week baseline, 3 weeks intervention, and 2 week follow-up phase.
Behavioral: SHINE-VR
Participants will receive SHINE-VR additionally to regular trauma treatment. The baseline phase starts after trauma processing, e.g. after module 6 of TF-CBT or processing of the traumatic event with EMDR. This group has a two week baseline, 3 weeks intervention, and a 1 week follow-up phase.
Behavioral: SHINE-VR
The SHINE-VR takes place after trauma processing, e.g. after module 6 of TF-CBT or processing of the traumatic event with EMDR, and is followed by the rest of the regular treatment. SHINE-VR consists of the following 3 VR sessions à 45min: * Introduction: getting acquainted with VR, playing a VR game developed for the feasibility study (Krupljanin et al., in preparation), receiving psychoeducation about seeking help. * Shame: virtual group therapy setting, psychoeducation about shame, virtual peers sharing thoughts of shame and their learnings/positive affirmations. * Self-compassion: practicing self-compassion using an immersive perspective-changing task in VR.
Trauma-related shame
Shame experienced in relation to sexual abuse will be measured with a self-developed questionnaire. The first 4 items are based on the Dutch translation of the Shame and Guilt After Trauma Scale. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores mean worse outcome. 2 items are reversed. Higher scores mean worse outcome.
Time frame: Daily throughout the 6 weeks, resulting in 42 assessments
Self-compassion
Self-compassion will be measured with the Dutch translation of the Self-Compassion Scale-Youth version. Each of the 6 items is rated on a 1-5 Likert scale, 3 of them are reversed. The outcome measure is the sum score of all items divided by the number of items. Higher scores mean better outcome.
Time frame: Daily throughout the 6 weeks, resulting in 42 assessments
PTSD symptoms
PTSD symptoms will be measured with the Kind en Jeugd Traumascreener. Items 1-20 measuring the symptoms will be used, each item is rated on a 0-3 Likert scale. The outcome measure is the sum score of all items. Higher scores mean worse outcome.
Time frame: Daily on weekdays throughout the 6 weeks, resulting in 30 assessments
Plan to share: Yes — Identifiable information of the participants will be encrypted for the further processing and analyzing of the corresponding data. Once the project is completed and the paper(s) has been published, the encryption key and the personal data will be deleted. Following paragraph from the template of the Institute of Education and Child Studies will be used: I consent to my and my child's participation in the study (Title Research) I also give permission to store and use the pseudonymised research data about me and my child that is collected in this research and to share it with other researchers if necessary.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Sap
This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Universiteit Leiden