VR program to improve focus during homework for emerging adults with ADHD

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This is a multi-site, parallel-group randomized trial that will assign emerging adults with ADHD (ages 18–25) to one of three conditions: VR passthrough control, VR headset alone, or VR headset with feedback about focus, using a 1:1:1 blocked randomization stratified by ADHD medication status. After a two-session baseline without VR, participants will receive a Meta Quest 3 headset and computer and complete up to ten 1-hour at-home VR study/homework sessions over two weeks. Outcomes include self-reported concentration, homework effort and motivation, and objective keyboard and mouse click data to measure productivity; proposed mechanisms are measured every session. Phase 4 increases sample size to approximately 252 randomized participants to provide more precise estimates of feasibility, usability, and preliminary effects.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Participants must meet DSM-5 criteria for ADHD
* Between the ages of 18 and 25
* Given high rates of comorbidities in college students with ADHD, participants who meet criteria for ODD, anxiety or depressive disorders on the diagnostic interview are not excluded
* Participants must have an item mean score of \>2.0 (often or very often) on the homework task specific version of the Adult Concentration Index (ACI), ensuring the presence of a problem in the mechanism being targeted in this study
* The participant has to endorse a total of at least 5 symptoms in the ADHD inattention domain as currently present and impairing and at least 6 symptoms in the ADHD inattention domain as present and impairing during childhood
* To rule out exclusionary conditions and/or to assess for the presence of comorbid conditions, psychological functioning will be assessed using the DSM-5 version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID-5-RV)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Whether primary or not, the comorbid presence of several other conditions will be exclusionary.This includes autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, active substance abuse, and other psychiatric conditions whose treatment precludes participation in the study.
* Students who do not meet criteria for ADHD are not eligible
* Students who are not in the specified age range are also not eligible to participate
* Students with a history of seizures are not eligible to participate given the use of VR

Where it's running

• Louisiana State University
  Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States Recruiting
• Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Joshua M Langberg, PhD — Rutgers University
• Study coordinator: Joshua M Langberg, PhD
• Email: jl3079@gsapp.rutgers.edu
• Phone: (848) 445-2000

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.