Efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy on symptoms of acrophobia and anxiety sensitivity in adolescent girls: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundAcrophobia is a specific phobia characterized by a severe fear of heights. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of two therapies that may ameliorate symptoms of acrophobia and anxiety sensitivity, i.e., virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy with a Waiting List Control Condition (WLCC).MethodsWe applied a three-armed randomized controlled pre-post-test design with 45 female adolescent students. Students who met DSM-5 criteria for acrophobia were randomly assigned to either VRET (N = 15; Mage = 17.26; SD = 1.32), EMDR (N = 15; Mage = 17.15; SD = 1.57), or a WLCC (N = 15; Mage = 17.50; SD = 1.26). The study groups were evaluated one week before the intervention and one week after the last intervention session regarding symptoms of acrophobia (Severity Measure for Acrophobia) and anxiety sensitivity (Anxiety Sensitivity Index).ResultsThe data showed that both the application of VRET and EMDR therapy were associated with significantly reduced symptoms of acrophobia (d = 1.03 for VRET and d = 1.08 for EMDR) and anxiety sensitivity (d = 1.15 for VRET and d = 1.13 for EMDR) in comparison to the Waiting List.LimitationsThe sample consisted only of adolescent women. Due to the recognizable differences between the two interventions, the therapists and the participants were not blind to the conditions.ConclusionThe results suggest that both VRET and EMDR are interventions that can significantly improve symptoms of acrophobia and anxiety sensitivity in female adolescents.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.irct.ir/trial/57391, identifier: IRCT20210213050343N1.

Assessment and treatment of mental health conditions in children and adolescents: A systematic scoping review of how virtual reality environments have been used

“…Most common were feasibility studies ( n = 5) with three randomised control trials. The VRE hardware used across studies varied, with four studies using the Occulus Rift HMD ( Azimisefat et al, 2022 ; Farrell et al, 2021 ; Fisher et al, 2020 ; Shin et al, 2018 ), and two studies that used the “Blue Room” CAVE system ( Maskey et al, 2014 , 2019 ). The sample sizes of studies ranged from 6 to 64.…”

“…Nine studies focused on treating anxiety symptoms and one on internet gaming disorder ( Shin et al, 2018 ). Furthermore, 10 studies utilised VREs as a mode of exposure therapy ( Azimisefat et al, 2022 ; Farrell et al, 2021 ; Kahlon et al, 2019 ; Maskey et al, 2014 , 2019 ; Porras-Garcia et al, 2020 ; Servera et al, 2020 ; Shin et al, 2018 ; St-Jacques et al, 2010 ; Whiteside et al, 2020 ). The majority of the anxiety-related studies applied VREs as an exposure therapy tool ( Farrell et al, 2021 ; Kahlon et al, 2019 ; Maskey et al, 2014 , 2019 ; Servera et al, 2020 ; St-Jacques et al, 2010 ; Whiteside et al, 2020 ), while one study utilised VRE to engage adolescents in deep breathing practice ( Bossenbroek et al, 2020 ).…”

“…They reported reduced eating disorder symptoms as well as lower body-related attentional bias toward weight-related body parts and higher BMI. Seven studies measured the impact of VRE exposure therapy on symptoms of anxiety, and all found reductions after one session ( Farrell et al, 2021 ; Kahlon et al, 2019 ; Whiteside et al, 2020 ) and four or more sessions ( Azimisefat et al, 2022 ; Maskey et al, 2014 , 2019 ; Servera et al, 2020 ). St-Jacques et al (2010) examined whether VRE exposure therapy would increase children’s motivation for therapy but found no differences in motivation between those who received VRE exposure therapy and in vivo exposure therapy.…”