A Narrative Review of Virtual Reality Applications for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Kamkuimo, Sorelle Audrey; Girard, Benoît; Ménélas, Bob-Antoine J.

doi:10.3390/app11156683

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…However, most studies still have the problem of insufficient interactivity, overemphasizing sensory stimulation, and ignoring the importance of interaction. Therefore, virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) should apply active learning methods and increase interactive experiences [20]. Next, the analysis of patents regarding VR and counseling services are reviewed to describe the future trends of psychological therapy.…”

Section: Immersive Technology Applied As a Psychological Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Test Platform for Managing School Stress Using a Virtual Reality Group Chatbot Counseling System

et al. 2021

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Student life causes many sources of stress due to the requirements of managing schoolwork, family, friends, health and wellbeing, and future career planning. Some students are overwhelmed and lack resilience to overcome stress, especially if they are inexperienced in managing setbacks, fail to achieve expectations, or lack skills to independently manage social skills, recreation, and study time. The long-term accumulation of stress has a negative impact on students’ physical and mental health, and may lead to a range of symptoms such as depression, anxiety, headache, insomnia, and eating disorders. Although most universities provide psychological counseling services, there is often a shortage of professional psychologists, which leads to students suffering from stress for longer than necessary without immediate assistance. The build-up of stress can lead to tragic consequences including abnormal reasoning, anti-social behavior, and suicide. There should never be a need for a student to wait more than a month to make an appointment for counseling services and every request for help should be immediately addressed and assessed. In this research, we designed a unique test platform for an immersive virtual reality group chatbot counseling system so students can receive psychological help and stress management counseling anytime and anywhere. First, the research used questionnaires to measure the stress levels and identifies how stress affects their lives. An immersive virtual reality chatbot was developed using professional psychological counseling knowledge that can provide answers during individual or group counseling sessions. Students can log in to the platform as avatars and ask the chatbot questions or interact with other students on the platform. This research provides college students with a new technology-based counseling environment designed to help relieve stress and learn new ways to improve student life quality from others. The platform provides a test base for future clinical trials to evaluate and improve the automated virtual reality chatbot counseling system.

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Section: Immersive Technology Applied As a Psychological Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Test Platform for Managing School Stress Using a Virtual Reality Group Chatbot Counseling System

et al. 2021

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“…As the literature suggests, forming a "coherent memory" (Bailenson, 2018) of trauma can diminish its power, and VR is the tool that can most successfully represent trauma's complexity in an interactive and impactful way. Review studies have shown that the lack of interactivity in sensory simulation does not contribute to the active experience of the immersed subject, which is crucial for the healing effect of the experience (Kamkuimo et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narrative self-recreation in virtual reality

Georgieva¹,

Georgiev²

2022

Front. Virtual Real.

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The narrative essence of human nature is that humans are storytellers, and this ability helps to constitute our identities. Challenges that disrupt this innate ability are adverse events that affect the human perception of the world and undermine the meaning one finds in reality. Such events might range from short-term stressors to long-term testing conditions such as pandemics. Tools for overcoming these negative effects and for achieving self-preservation might be sought in individual storytelling abilities in relation to self-constitution and identification. An example of an interactive digital narrative medium that provides a platform for such expression of complex issues is virtual reality (VR), which has been used as a visual narrative storytelling tool for decades. This study sets the notion of trauma in a new light, as a break in the individual story used to explain one’s life and as a story to be intertwined with and re-adapted to one’s overall lifetime. In the healthcare context, this experience can be most effectively presented in VR because it offers added meaning, potential choices, closure, and resolution as methods of utilization. Therefore, VR can be seen not only as a medium whereby traumatic events can be processed but also as an alternative viewpoint of the goal of self-(re)creation. This research discusses a theoretical proposal for ways of playing with self-construction mechanisms in the context of an immersive VR environment to create more opportunities to change one’s narrative and, hence, one’s real-life story.

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Virtual Reality and Stress Management: A Systematic Review

Meshkat,

Edalatkhah,

Di Luciano

et al. 2024

Cureus

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Amidst the growing prevalence of chronic stress and its potential negative impacts on mental health, this review explores the use of virtual reality (VR) as a stress management solution, aiming to assess its viability and effectiveness in this context. A comprehensive search was conducted on MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase from inception until February 2024. Eligible studies were primary research papers that focused on the use of VR as an intervention to mitigate psychological stress and/or distress. We included studies where the assessment of stress levels primarily relied on self-report measures. A total of 50 studies involving 2885 participants were included in our systematic review. VR-based interventions varied across studies, implementing tools such as cognitive behavioural therapy, exposure therapy, mindfulness and relaxation, repetition tasks, and psychoeducation. The reviewed studies yielded mixed results; however, a strong indication was present in highlighting the promising potential of VR-based interventions. Many studies observed a decrease in psychiatric symptoms in participants and reported increased quality of life. Various studies also found VR to be a valuable tool in promoting stress reduction and relaxation. VR was proven useful in exposing participants to stressors in a safe, controlled way. These potential benefits appear to come with no risk of harm to the participants. Although the findings are heterogenous, there is sufficient evidence supporting the use of VR for stress management across a range of contexts and populations. Overall, VR appears to be a generally low-risk, feasible intervention for those struggling with stress.

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A Narrative Review of Virtual Reality Applications for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Cited by 3 publications

References 81 publications

A Test Platform for Managing School Stress Using a Virtual Reality Group Chatbot Counseling System

A Test Platform for Managing School Stress Using a Virtual Reality Group Chatbot Counseling System

Narrative self-recreation in virtual reality

Virtual Reality and Stress Management: A Systematic Review

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