Specific PhobiasNCT06339463
Self-Distancing for Specific Phobia in Youth
A study testing Self-Distancing Intervention and First-person self-talk in people with Specific Phobias, run by Columbia University.
Trial summary
Self-Distancing is a cognitive technique that involves a shift in self-talk characterized by replacing first-person (e.g., "I") with second- or third-person pronouns (i.e., "you", one's own name) to promote an adaptive, self-reflective stance in emotionally charged situations. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 7 to 12 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Specific Phobias
- What is being tested?
- Self-Distancing Intervention and First-person self-talk
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 0 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- Oct 2026to Oct 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 7 to 12 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Age 7-12.99 years at the time of consent
- Written informed consent by a parent/legal guardian and assent by the child
- Clinically significant symptoms of specific phobia (i.e., spider phobia)
- Fluent in English (Participant may be bilingual but must be able to speak and understand fluent English to participate in the study)
Who cannot join
- Prior diagnosis of bipolar disorder
- Prior diagnosis of psychotic disorders
- Prior diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
- Active alcohol or substance dependence
- Active suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior within the past 3 months prior to baseline assessment
- Any major medical or neurological problem (e.g., unstable hypertension, seizure disorder, head trauma)
- Any history of cognitive impairment or developmental delay
About this study
Official title: Targeting Approach Behaviors in Exposures With Self-distancing to Improve Outcomes in Youth Specific Phobia
Self-Distancing is a cognitive technique that involves a shift in self-talk characterized by replacing first-person (e.g., "I") with second- or third-person pronouns (i.e., "you", one's own name) to promote an adaptive, self-reflective stance in emotionally charged situations. This trial aims to help learn how self-distancing may increase behavioral approach during exposures. To find out if self-distancing works by helping children approach fear-inducing stimuli, the study will look at behaviors and physiological responses related to approach, as well as symptom severity, before and after this cognitive technique.
The study hypothesizes that Self-Distancing will lead to greater increases in approach behaviors and a larger decrease in symptom severity compared to a control condition (first-person self-talk).
Read the detailed description
Anxiety disorders impact 1 in 3 youths by the time of adolescence, and can lead to depression, substance use, school issues, and suicide risk. Specific phobia is the earliest occurring and most common anxiety disorder and increases risk for later onset of other anxiety disorders (e.g., separation, social, generalized anxiety disorders), OCD, depression, and substance abuse problems. Exposure therapy is the standard treatment for specific phobia, but many still struggle with symptoms even after treatment. For exposure therapy to be effective, youth with specific phobia must actively approach feared situations to learn that feared outcomes do not occur. Therefore, strategies to facilitate approach behaviors during exposure therapy may improve treatment outcomes.
Self-distancing (SD) is a technique that may help youths approach their fears in exposure therapy. SD utilizes second or third-person language to enhance a person's psychological distance from self, helping them to "take a step back" from emotional situations and adopt a more objective perspective. In community samples, SD has been found to boost determination and persistence during difficult tasks, including those that induce anxiety (e.g., giving a speech). However, SD has yet to be tested as a strategy for helping clinically anxious youth engage with exposures. Additionally, objective measures of approach are needed for measuring and modifying novel exposure therapy augmentation strategies, such as SD, to improve treatment outcomes.
This study will examine if SD increases the ability to approach feared stimuli during a behavioral approach test (BAT). 20 youth (7-12.99 years) with specific phobia of spiders will be randomized to either a SD or a control condition. In the SD condition, participants will engage with the exposure task (BAT) from a self-distanced view (e.g., "Emily will touch a spider"), while in the control condition the subject will use first-person perspective (e.g., "I will touch a spider") Before and after the exposure therapy session, a BAT will be applied. This study will assess: 1) Approach -indexed using both behavioral (ability to get physically closer to spider, and video-derived motion analysis) and neuro-physiological (i.e., electroencephalogram [EEG], heart rate [HR], heart rate variability [HRV] and electrodermal activity [EDA]) metrics, collected during a BAT and 2) severity of specific phobia using validated self-report scales. During SD or control intervention, continuous audio and video data will be collected to derive behavioral metrics of engagement with the intervention (i.e., video-derived motion analysis and audio-derived linguistic metrics) and participants will be asked to subjectively rate their distress and engagement with the activity. Data will be analyzed to determine whether SD improves behavioral, neural, and physiological markers of approach to feared stimuli in youth with specific phobia and reduces symptom severity, and to explore the degree to which changes in video and audio-derived objective metrics of behavioral engagement with the intervention associate with changes in subjective ratings of fear/distress, subjective self-report of engagement and symptom severity.
- Conditions
- Specific Phobias
- Being tested
- Self-Distancing Intervention, First-person self-talk
- Keywords
- Self-distancing, Specific phobia
- Medical subject headings
- Phobia, Specific
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Self-Distancing InterventionBehavioural
In the Self Distancing Intervention condition, participants will be instructed to describe the exposure task from a self-distanced perspective (e.g., "Emily is going to touch the spider").
First-person self-talkBehavioural
Youth will be randomized to a BAT with a control condition. In this arm, participants will be instructed to describe the exposure task from a self-immersed perspective (e.g., "I'm going to touch the spider")
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Distancing | Experimental | Youth will be randomized to a BAT with Self-Distancing Intervention. In this arm, participants will be instructed to describe the exposure task from a self-distanced perspective (e.g., "Emily is going to touch the spider"). Receives: Behavioral: Self-Distancing Intervention |
| First-person self-talk | Active comparator | Youth will be randomized to a BAT with a control condition. In this arm, participants will be instructed to describe the exposure task from a self-immersed perspective (e.g.,"I'm going to touch the spider") Receives: Behavioral: First-person self-talk |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Behavioral Approach Test (BAT)
The BAT will be utilized to evaluate participants' behavioral approach towards a spider before and after the exposure therapy session. Participants will be instructed to approach a spider, contained in a plastic container at the opposite end of the room, as quickly and closely as they can manage, stopping when their fear becomes overwhelming. The BAT outcomes will be assessed by the distance approached (marked on the floor), ranging from 0, where participants will refuse to enter the room or to move from the starting point- to 10 feet, where they will touch the spider with a fingertip.
Measured: Immediately before and after intervention.
Spider Phobia Questionnaire (SPQ-C)
The SPQ-C is a validated self-report assessment of spider fear for children 8-12 years, consisting of 29 true/false items, 8 of which are reversed-scored. Total scores range from 0 to 29. Higher scores indicate a greater degree of spider fear.
Measured: At baseline (~1 week before the intervention) and immediately after the intervention.
Treatment Engagement and Adherence Ratings (TEARS)
The TEARS is a brief questionnaire assessing youth and therapist reports of youth's adherence to their assigned exposure condition, and their approach toward the exposure. Adherence and engagement are rated on a Likert scale from 1-7, with higher scores indicating greater engagement and adherence.
Measured: Immediately after the intervention.
Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS)
Subjective Units of Distress (SUDs) scale-a self-assessment tool that quantifies the intensity of an individual's distress. During BAT, participants will be asked to indicate their level of anxiety on a scale ranging from 0 "no distress" to 100 "extreme distress".
Measured: Immediately before and after the intervention.
Secondary outcomes (3)
Heart Rate Variability
HRV is a widely recognized indicator of the autonomic nervous system's regulation of the heart, reflecting the body's capacity to adapt to stress and relaxation. HRV has been extensively used in clinical and physiological research to assess cardiovascular function and autonomic engagement.
Measured: Immediately before and after the intervention.
Electrodermal activity
Electrodermal activity (EDA) refers to the changes in the skin's ability to conduct electricity, which is influenced by the activity of the sweat glands. These changes are primarily driven by the sympathetic nervous system, which is activated in response to emotional and physiological arousal. Meta-analyses research suggest that anxious and non-anxious individuals differ in their EDA-estimated fear conditioned responses.
Measured: Immediately before and after the intervention.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
EEG has become a valuable tool for understanding the neural mechanisms underlying anxiety and phobia, offering high temporal resolution to capture rapid neural responses to fear-related stimuli. Research indicates that increased beta and gamma band activity during exposure to feared stimuli is associated with heightened arousal and fear responses in individuals with specific phobias, while reductions in alpha power are linked to increased anxiety. This outcome will measure the changes in these frequency bands before and after the intervention and compare them with the control condition.
Measured: Immediately before and after the intervention.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted1 Apr 2024
- Study startOct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionOct 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionOct 2028 (estimated)
Why it stopped: Loss of funding
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (9)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Specific PhobiasStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Columbia UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Youth (7-12.99 years) with DSM-5 specific phobia (e.g. spider phobia) will be randomized to SD or a control condition (first-person perspective). Self-distancing or control condition will be delivered over the course of one visit. These conditions will run in parallel.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 0 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Columbia University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Kate D Fitzgerald, MD, Principal investigator, Professor of Psychiatry
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06339463
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- AAAU7985
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 25 Mar 2024
- Last updated
- 7 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Wolitzky-Taylor KB, Horowitz JD, Powers MB, Telch MJ. Psychological approaches in the treatment of specific phobias: a meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev. 2008 Jul;28(6):1021-37. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2008.02.007. Epub 2008 Mar 7.
PubMed 18410984Wetzer G, Ten Have M, de Graaf R, Batelaan NM, van Balkom AJLM. Specific Phobia: Risk Factor of Other Psychiatric Disorders. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2021 Jul 1;209(7):484-490. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001341.
PubMed 33840768Ollendick, T.H. and N.J. King, Empirically Supported Treatments for Children and Adolescents: Advances Toward Evidence-Based Practice, in Handbook of Interventions that Work with Children and Adolescents. 2004. p. 1-25.
Ollendick T, Allen B, Benoit K, Cowart M. The tripartite model of fear in children with specific phobias: assessing concordance and discordance using the behavioral approach test. Behav Res Ther. 2011 Aug;49(8):459-65. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2011.04.003. Epub 2011 May 6.
PubMed 21596371Merikangas KR, He JP, Burstein M, Swanson SA, Avenevoli S, Cui L, Benjet C, Georgiades K, Swendsen J. Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication--Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010 Oct;49(10):980-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017. Epub 2010 Jul 31.
PubMed 20855043Bushnell GA, Gaynes BN, Compton SN, Dusetzina SB, Olfson M, Sturmer T. Incident Substance Use Disorder Following Anxiety Disorder in Privately Insured Youth. J Adolesc Health. 2019 Oct;65(4):536-542. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.05.007. Epub 2019 Jul 17.
PubMed 31326248Borkovec, T., T. Weerts, and D. Bernstein, Assessment of anxiety in handbook of behavioral assessment. 1997, New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Barzilay R, White LK, Moore TM, Calkins ME, Taylor JH, Patrick A, Huque ZM, Young JF, Ruparel K, Pine DS, Gur RC, Gur RE. Association of anxiety phenotypes with risk of depression and suicidal ideation in community youth. Depress Anxiety. 2020 Sep;37(9):851-861. doi: 10.1002/da.23060. Epub 2020 Jun 5.
PubMed 32500960Ahlen J, Ghaderi A. Dimension-specific symptom patterns in trajectories of broad anxiety: A longitudinal prospective study in school-aged children. Dev Psychopathol. 2020 Feb;32(1):31-41. doi: 10.1017/S0954579418001384.
PubMed 30688179
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 7 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Targeting Approach Behaviors in Exposures With Self-distancing to Improve Outcomes in Youth Specific Phobia
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06339463
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AAAU7985
- Conditions
- Specific Phobias
- Keywords
- Self-distancing, Specific phobia
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- WithdrawnReason stopped: Loss of funding
- Enrolment
- 0 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Columbia UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Oct 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Oct 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 1 Apr 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Self-Distancing is a cognitive technique that involves a shift in self-talk characterized by replacing first-person (e.g., "I") with second- or third-person pronouns (i.e., "you", one's own name) to promote an adaptive, self-reflective stance in emotionally charged situations. This trial aims to help learn how self-distancing may increase behavioral approach during exposures. To find out if self-distancing works by helping children approach fear-inducing stimuli, the study will look at behaviors and physiological responses related to approach, as well as symptom severity, before and after this cognitive technique.
The study hypothesizes that Self-Distancing will lead to greater increases in approach behaviors and a larger decrease in symptom severity compared to a control condition (first-person self-talk).
Detailed description
Anxiety disorders impact 1 in 3 youths by the time of adolescence, and can lead to depression, substance use, school issues, and suicide risk. Specific phobia is the earliest occurring and most common anxiety disorder and increases risk for later onset of other anxiety disorders (e.g., separation, social, generalized anxiety disorders), OCD, depression, and substance abuse problems. Exposure therapy is the standard treatment for specific phobia, but many still struggle with symptoms even after treatment. For exposure therapy to be effective, youth with specific phobia must actively approach feared situations to learn that feared outcomes do not occur. Therefore, strategies to facilitate approach behaviors during exposure therapy may improve treatment outcomes.
Self-distancing (SD) is a technique that may help youths approach their fears in exposure therapy. SD utilizes second or third-person language to enhance a person's psychological distance from self, helping them to "take a step back" from emotional situations and adopt a more objective perspective. In community samples, SD has been found to boost determination and persistence during difficult tasks, including those that induce anxiety (e.g., giving a speech). However, SD has yet to be tested as a strategy for helping clinically anxious youth engage with exposures. Additionally, objective measures of approach are needed for measuring and modifying novel exposure therapy augmentation strategies, such as SD, to improve treatment outcomes.
This study will examine if SD increases the ability to approach feared stimuli during a behavioral approach test (BAT). 20 youth (7-12.99 years) with specific phobia of spiders will be randomized to either a SD or a control condition. In the SD condition, participants will engage with the exposure task (BAT) from a self-distanced view (e.g., "Emily will touch a spider"), while in the control condition the subject will use first-person perspective (e.g., "I will touch a spider") Before and after the exposure therapy session, a BAT will be applied. This study will assess: 1) Approach -indexed using both behavioral (ability to get physically closer to spider, and video-derived motion analysis) and neuro-physiological (i.e., electroencephalogram [EEG], heart rate [HR], heart rate variability [HRV] and electrodermal activity [EDA]) metrics, collected during a BAT and 2) severity of specific phobia using validated self-report scales. During SD or control intervention, continuous audio and video data will be collected to derive behavioral metrics of engagement with the intervention (i.e., video-derived motion analysis and audio-derived linguistic metrics) and participants will be asked to subjectively rate their distress and engagement with the activity. Data will be analyzed to determine whether SD improves behavioral, neural, and physiological markers of approach to feared stimuli in youth with specific phobia and reduces symptom severity, and to explore the degree to which changes in video and audio-derived objective metrics of behavioral engagement with the intervention associate with changes in subjective ratings of fear/distress, subjective self-report of engagement and symptom severity.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Youth (7-12.99 years) with DSM-5 specific phobia (e.g. spider phobia) will be randomized to SD or a control condition (first-person perspective). Self-distancing or control condition will be delivered over the course of one visit. These conditions will run in parallel.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Distancing | Experimental | Behavioral: Self-Distancing InterventionYouth will be randomized to a BAT with Self-Distancing Intervention. In this arm, participants will be instructed to describe the exposure task from a self-distanced perspective (e.g., "Emily is going to touch the spider"). |
| First-person self-talk | Active comparator | Behavioral: First-person self-talkYouth will be randomized to a BAT with a control condition. In this arm, participants will be instructed to describe the exposure task from a self-immersed perspective (e.g.,"I'm going to touch the spider") |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 7 to 12 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Age 7-12.99 years at the time of consent
- Written informed consent by a parent/legal guardian and assent by the child
- Clinically significant symptoms of specific phobia (i.e., spider phobia)
- Fluent in English (Participant may be bilingual but must be able to speak and understand fluent English to participate in the study)
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Prior diagnosis of bipolar disorder
- Prior diagnosis of psychotic disorders
- Prior diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
- Active alcohol or substance dependence
- Active suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior within the past 3 months prior to baseline assessment
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Distancing InterventionIn the Self Distancing Intervention condition, participants will be instructed to describe the exposure task from a self-distanced perspective (e.g., "Emily is going to touch the spider"). | Behavioural | Self-Distancing |
| First-person self-talkYouth will be randomized to a BAT with a control condition. In this arm, participants will be instructed to describe the exposure task from a self-immersed perspective (e.g., "I'm going to touch the spider") | Behavioural | First-person self-talk |
Primary outcome
Behavioral Approach Test (BAT)
Time frame: Immediately before and after intervention.
The BAT will be utilized to evaluate participants' behavioral approach towards a spider before and after the exposure therapy session. Participants will be instructed to approach a spider, contained in a plastic container at the opposite end of the room, as quickly and closely as they can manage, stopping when their fear becomes overwhelming. The BAT outcomes will be assessed by the distance approached (marked on the floor), ranging from 0, where participants will refuse to enter the room or to move from the starting point- to 10 feet, where they will touch the spider with a fingertip.
Spider Phobia Questionnaire (SPQ-C)
Time frame: At baseline (~1 week before the intervention) and immediately after the intervention.
The SPQ-C is a validated self-report assessment of spider fear for children 8-12 years, consisting of 29 true/false items, 8 of which are reversed-scored. Total scores range from 0 to 29. Higher scores indicate a greater degree of spider fear.
Treatment Engagement and Adherence Ratings (TEARS)
Time frame: Immediately after the intervention.
The TEARS is a brief questionnaire assessing youth and therapist reports of youth's adherence to their assigned exposure condition, and their approach toward the exposure. Adherence and engagement are rated on a Likert scale from 1-7, with higher scores indicating greater engagement and adherence.
Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS)
Time frame: Immediately before and after the intervention.
Subjective Units of Distress (SUDs) scale-a self-assessment tool that quantifies the intensity of an individual's distress. During BAT, participants will be asked to indicate their level of anxiety on a scale ranging from 0 "no distress" to 100 "extreme distress".
3 secondary outcomes
Heart Rate Variability
Time frame: Immediately before and after the intervention.
Electrodermal activity
Time frame: Immediately before and after the intervention.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Time frame: Immediately before and after the intervention.
Results and safety
The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 7 May 2026.
- Background: PubMed 18410984Wolitzky-Taylor KB, Horowitz JD, Powers MB, Telch MJ. Psychological approaches in the treatment of specific phobias: a meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev. 2008 Jul;28(6):1021-37. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2008.02.007. Epub 2008 Mar 7.
- Background: PubMed 33840768Wetzer G, Ten Have M, de Graaf R, Batelaan NM, van Balkom AJLM. Specific Phobia: Risk Factor of Other Psychiatric Disorders. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2021 Jul 1;209(7):484-490. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001341.
- BackgroundOllendick, T.H. and N.J. King, Empirically Supported Treatments for Children and Adolescents: Advances Toward Evidence-Based Practice, in Handbook of Interventions that Work with Children and Adolescents. 2004. p. 1-25.
- Background: PubMed 21596371Ollendick T, Allen B, Benoit K, Cowart M. The tripartite model of fear in children with specific phobias: assessing concordance and discordance using the behavioral approach test. Behav Res Ther. 2011 Aug;49(8):459-65. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2011.04.003. Epub 2011 May 6.
- Background: PubMed 20855043Merikangas KR, He JP, Burstein M, Swanson SA, Avenevoli S, Cui L, Benjet C, Georgiades K, Swendsen J. Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication--Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010 Oct;49(10):980-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017. Epub 2010 Jul 31.
- Background: PubMed 31326248Bushnell GA, Gaynes BN, Compton SN, Dusetzina SB, Olfson M, Sturmer T. Incident Substance Use Disorder Following Anxiety Disorder in Privately Insured Youth. J Adolesc Health. 2019 Oct;65(4):536-542. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.05.007. Epub 2019 Jul 17.
- BackgroundBorkovec, T., T. Weerts, and D. Bernstein, Assessment of anxiety in handbook of behavioral assessment. 1997, New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
- Background: PubMed 32500960Barzilay R, White LK, Moore TM, Calkins ME, Taylor JH, Patrick A, Huque ZM, Young JF, Ruparel K, Pine DS, Gur RC, Gur RE. Association of anxiety phenotypes with risk of depression and suicidal ideation in community youth. Depress Anxiety. 2020 Sep;37(9):851-861. doi: 10.1002/da.23060. Epub 2020 Jun 5.
- Background: PubMed 30688179Ahlen J, Ghaderi A. Dimension-specific symptom patterns in trajectories of broad anxiety: A longitudinal prospective study in school-aged children. Dev Psychopathol. 2020 Feb;32(1):31-41. doi: 10.1017/S0954579418001384.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Kate D Fitzgerald, MD principal investigator
Professor of Psychiatry
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Self-Distancing Intervention and First-person self-talk in people with Specific Phobias, run by Columbia University.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Behavioral Approach Test (BAT) (time frame: Immediately before and after intervention.). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06339463, which also lists 9 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 7 May 2026.