Use of the FLARe Smartphone App in a Trauma-Exposed Sample: A Feasibility Study

Laboratory-based paradigms allow for the collection of multi-modal assessments. A fear conditioning (FC) paradigm, capturing one key risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD), has been administered in a lab-based format. Recently a smartphone-based application (app) of this FC paradigm has been administered within control and anxiety samples. However, this app has not been administered to trauma-exposed individuals. Thus, the primary goal of this study was to test the feasibility of this app among those with a trauma history. Results suggest that this app can be administered to trauma-exposed individuals, and that they acquire fear to previously neutral stimuli (t=-12.55, p<.001), and then extinguish that fear immediately (t=-4.95, p<.001) and the next day (t=-4.01, p<.001). Thus, study findings provide preliminary evidence that this task is not functioning in the same way in the app as it does in the lab for trauma-exposed participants.