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Public Speaking AnxietyNCT07051135

HablaRÉ: Self-applied Online Training for Correcting Emotional Reasoning Biases in Public Speaking Anxiety.

A study testing "HablaRÉ": Emotional Reasoning bias correction training in people with Public Speaking Anxiety, run by Universitat Jaume I at 1 site in Spain.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The project aims to assess the feasibility of self-administered training for individuals with public speaking anxiety, specifically targeting the reduction of emotional reasoning bias. It seeks to evaluate the interventions' usability, acceptability, satisfaction and adherence/compliance rates. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Public Speaking Anxiety
What is being tested?
"HablaRÉ": Emotional Reasoning bias correction training
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
20 participants
Where
1 siteSpain
Study dates
1 May 2025to Sep 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Be of legal age.
  • Accept the informed consent.
  • Adequately understand/read Spanish.
  • Have access to a mobile device or computer with an Internet connection.
  • Not receiving any other psychological treatment for public speaking anxiety during the study period.
  • Have a score of 43 or higher on the Emotional reasoning scale (ERPSAS) AND/OR a score of 55 or higher on the Spanish version of the Public Speaking Anxiety Scale (PSAS-S) for fear of public speaking.
  • If taking prescribed medication for anxiety/depression, have had no changes in dosage for at least one month before the procedure.

Who cannot join

  • Not accepting the informed consent.
  • Being a minor.
  • Having a severe mental disorder (bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or other psychotic disorders) or substance abuse (alcohol or other substances) or having active suicidal plans (suicide item in the ODSIS depression questionnaire ≥ 2) that would prevent participation in the program.
  • In the case of receiving medication, changes in medication during treatment will be evaluated but will not lead to exclusion.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Macarena Paredes-Mealla, PhD Student contact

+34 964376252

dparedes@uji.es

Carlos Suso-Ribera, Dr. contact

susor@uji.es

Spain1 site, 1 recruiting
  • University Jaume I

    Castellon, Castellón, 12071

    Macarena Paredes-Mealla, PhD Student, + 34 964376252, dparedes@uji.es

    Recruiting

Other trials in Spain

About this study

Official title: HablaRÉ: Self-applied Online Training for Correcting Emotional Reasoning Biases in Public Speaking Anxiety. A Feasibility, Non-randomised Pilot Study.

The project aims to assess the feasibility of self-administered training for individuals with public speaking anxiety, specifically targeting the reduction of emotional reasoning bias. It seeks to evaluate the interventions' usability, acceptability, satisfaction and adherence/compliance rates. In addition, the study intends to determine the feasibility of conducting a potential randomised clinical trial to evaluate the true impact of the intervention on emotional reasoning biases and public speaking anxiety levels.

Read the detailed description

Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA), manifests as intense fear in public speaking or performance contexts, and while it is commonly seen in individuals with SAD, it can also occur independently. Studies show that 97% of individuals with SAD experience PSA, with approximately 40% suffering from severe PSA. PSA is associated with significant distress and detrimental effects on work, education, and social life. Several interventions, grounded in cognitive-behavioural principles, such as exposure therapies, have been proven effective in treating PSA, with both traditional and technology-based therapies demonstrating significant improvements in reducing anxiety and enhancing coping behaviours.

Despite the effectiveness of these treatments, relapse, non-improvement, or treatment discontinuation remain significant challenges. Comorbidity, affecting over 75% of individuals with affective disorders, worsens treatment outcomes and suggests the potential benefit of addressing transdiagnostic factors such as Emotional Reasoning (ER), a cognitive bias where individuals make judgements based on emotional responses rather than objective facts. Although ER has been targeted in interventions for spider phobia, no specific treatment for ER in PSA exists. The present study seeks to develop and assess the feasibility of "HablaRÉ" an intervention aimed at correcting ER biases in PSA patients. The study will evaluate the intervention's usability, acceptability, adherence, and its potential for a randomised clinical trial to determine its impact on ER bias and PSA levels.

A total of 30 participants will undergo training consisting of 10 self-administered daily sessions in which components such as psychoeducation on emotions and the detection of ER biases and their impact on behaviour.

Being tested
"HablaRÉ": Emotional Reasoning bias correction training
Keywords
Emotional Reasoning, Public Speaking Anxiety, Anxiety, Emotional disorders, Feasibility, Internet intervention, Psychological treatment
Medical subject headings
Anxiety Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • "HablaRÉ": Emotional Reasoning bias correction trainingDevice

    The "HablaRÉ" bias correction training for Emotional Reasoning consists of ten online, self-administered sessions that last no more than 30 minutes each. These courses include practice tasks in addition to textual and audio-visual content. The explanation of ER bias, motivation to change, emotional psychoeducation, and the distinction between emotionally biassed and objective information are all addressed.

Study groups in NCT07051135
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Online treatment: Emotional Reasoning bias correction trainingExperimentalParticipants who meet the inclusion criteria will receive an Emotional Reasoning bias correction training called 'HablaRÉ' consisting of 10 self- administered sessions, delivered online with a duration of no more than 30 minutes each.
Receives: Device: "HablaRÉ": Emotional Reasoning bias correction training

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Usability and acceptability

    The System Usability Scale (SUS) will be used to measure usability and acceptability (Brooke, 1996; Castilla et al., 2023). Patients rate their agreement with statements on a 5-point Likert scale (from 1, "Strongly Disagree", to 5, "Strongly Agree") as part of the SUS, which evaluates the usability of ICT applications using 10 items. The item values, which range from 0 to 4, are added up, and the total is multiplied by 2.5 to determine the overall score, which is expressed as a percentage (0-100). Better perceived usability are indicated by a larger percentage (Bangor et al., 2008).

    Measured: 2 evaluations: at post-treatment (just after treatment completion on the 10th day) and at 1-month follow up.

  2. Satisfaction with online training

    Using questions created by our team and previously used in technology-related studies, satisfaction with the intervention will be evaluated (Suso-Ribera, Castilla, Zaragozá, Ribera-Canudas, Botella, \& García-Palacios, 2018). "To what extent are you satisfied with the app?" and "To what extent would you recommend the app?" are two examples of questions.

    Measured: 2 evaluations: at post-treatment (just after treatment completion on the 10th day) and at 1-month follow up.

  3. Adherence rates

    Adherence rates will be assessed according to the number of sessions completed by participants. Both the number of participants who fully complete the intervention (including the intervention, the final evaluation and the follow-up) and those who drop out will be considered. In these cases, it will be specifically identified at which stage of the process the drop-out occurred.

    Measured: 2 evaluations: at post-treatment (just after treatment completion on the 10th day) and at 1-month follow up.

  4. User interaction with the platform

    Interaction with the platform will be measured using access logs, specifically tracking the number of times participants log in for each session.

    Measured: 1 evaluation: at post-treatment (just after treatment completion on the 10th day).

Secondary outcomes (6)
  1. Changes in ERPSAS Emotional Reasoning Public Speaking Anxiety Scale

    ERPSAS is a self-report instrument consisting of the presentation of 4 scenarios with different endings depending on whether objective safety or danger information is presented and whether there is an anxiety response or not. Based on these scenarios, the participant must measure, on a visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 to 100, the degree of danger, safety, controllability, desire to avoid the situation and degree of discomfort. The sum of these scales provides a single perceived threat score, providing a measure to determine the presence of the emotional reasoning bias. If the participant evaluates emotional situations as threatening without objective information of danger, the presence of an Emotional Reasoning bias arises.

    The scale has a range of 0-96 points (M= 36.57; SD= 14.18). The higher the score, the greater the emotional reasoning bias, with the cut-off point being a score of 47. Participants scoring above half a standard deviation above the mean will be included.

    Measured: 3 evaluations: at baseline before treatment onset, at treatment completion on the 10th day (Post-treatment evaluation) and 1-month follow up. Changes will be evaluated from pre-treatment to post-treatment and from post-treatment to 1 month follow-up.

  2. Changes in Public Speaking Anxiety Scale

    The Public Speaking Anxiety Scale, which contains 17 items with a 5-point Likert-type response format (1=Not at all, 5=Extremely). This scale measures the presence and severity of cognitive, behavioural, and physiological symptomatology related to fear of public speaking, with a cut-off point of 73 (M= 49.33; SD= 12.88). Participants scoring above half a standard deviation above the mean will be included.

    Measured: 3 evaluations: at baseline before treatment onset, at treatment completion on the 10th day (Post-treatment evaluation) and 1-month follow up. Changes will be evaluated from pre-treatment to post-treatment and from post-treatment to 1 month follow-up.

  3. Changes in Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale

    OASIS is a 5-item self-report instrument that assesses a unidimensional factor related to the severity and frequency of anxiety symptoms, as well as behavioral avoidance and functional impairment associated with these symptoms in the past week. Each item has five response options, coded from 0 to 4. The total score is calculated by adding the values of all items, ranging from 0 to 20. Scores higher than 8 indicate the presence of anxiety symptoms. This scale has been validated online in a sample of patients with depression and anxiety, demonstrating good internal consistency (α=0.86), as well as adequate convergent and discriminantvalidities and sensitivity to change.

    Measured: 3 evaluations: at baseline before treatment onset, at treatment completion on the 10th day (Post-treatment evaluation) and 1-month follow up. Changes will be evaluated from pre-treatment to post-treatment and from post-treatment to 1 month follow-up.

  4. Changes in Overall Depression Severity and Impairment Scale

    ODSIS is a 5-item self-report instrument that the severity and functional impairment linked to depression over the past week. Each item has five response options coded from 0 to 4. The total score is calculated by summing the values of all items, ranging from 0 to 20. Scores of 5 or above suggest depressive symptoms. This scale was validated online using a sample of patients with depressive or anxiety disorders. It demonstrates excellent internal consistency (α=0.92), and its construct, convergent, and discriminant validities are supported.

    Measured: 3 evaluations: at baseline before treatment onset, at treatment completion on the 10th day (Post-treatment evaluation) and 1-month follow up. Changes will be evaluated from pre-treatment to post-treatment and from post-treatment to 1 month follow-up.

  5. Changes in Quality Life Index

    The QLI is a 10-item self-report instrument that assesses a single concept of quality of life across 10 dimensions using a ten-point Likert scale (1=poor; 10=excellent). The dimensions include physical well-being, psychological/emotional well-being, self-care and independent functioning, occupational functioning, interpersonal functioning, social-emotional support, community and services support, personal fulfilment, spiritual fulfilment, and overall perception of quality of life. The total score is the average of the item scores, ranging from 1 to 10 (1-4.5 = below average quality of life; 4.6-8.1 = average quality of life; 8.2-10 = above average quality of life). The QLI demonstrates high internal consistency (α=0.89) and test-retest reliability (0.89), with discriminant validity evidenced in a sample of psychiatric patients.

    Measured: 3 evaluations: at baseline before treatment onset, at treatment completion on the 10th day (Post-treatment evaluation) and 1-month follow up. Changes will be evaluated from pre-treatment to post-treatment and from post-treatment to 1 month follow-up.

  6. Reason for discontinuation of treatment

    For participants who do not complete treatment, they will be asked voluntarily for the reason for discontinuing treatment.

    Measured: 1 evaluation: at post-treatment (until the end of the last session, up to 20 days)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted3 Jul 2025
  2. Study start1 May 2025
  3. Primary completionJul 2025 (estimated)
  4. Study completionSep 2025 (estimated)

Resources

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
Device feasibility
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
20 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07051135
Sponsor's protocol ID
CEISH/86/2023-01
Status last verified
Jun 2025
First submitted
26 May 2025
Last updated
3 Jul 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Lommen MJ, Engelhard IM, van den Hout MA, Arntz A. Reducing emotional reasoning: an experimental manipulation in individuals with fear of spiders. Cogn Emot. 2013;27(8):1504-12. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2013.795482. Epub 2013 May 16.

    PubMed 23679871
  • Arntz A, Rauner M, van den Hout M. "If I feel anxious, there must be danger": ex-consequentia reasoning in inferring danger in anxiety disorders. Behav Res Ther. 1995 Nov;33(8):917-25. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(95)00032-s.

    PubMed 7487851
  • Paredes-Mealla M, Martinez-Borba V, Miragall M, Garcia-Palacios A, Banos RM, Suso-Ribera C. Is there evidence that emotional reasoning processing underlies emotional disorders in adults? A systematic review. Curr Psychol. 2022 Nov 9:1-17. doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-03884-4. Online ahead of print.

    PubMed 36406838

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing "HablaRÉ": Emotional Reasoning bias correction training in people with Public Speaking Anxiety, run by Universitat Jaume I at 1 site in Spain.

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 7 inclusion and 4 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Jul 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Spain. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Macarena Paredes-Mealla, PhD Student (+34 964376252, dparedes@uji.es), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Usability and acceptability (time frame: 2 evaluations: at post-treatment (just after treatment completion on the 10th day) and at 1-month follow up.). 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 NCT07051135, which also lists 3 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 3 Jul 2025.

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