Social Anxiety in Virtual Environments: Results of a Pilot Study

James, Laura K.; Lin, Chien‐Yu; Steed, Anthony; Swapp, David; Slater, Mel

doi:10.1089/109493103322011515

Cited by 41 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…This suggests two things: first, that the environments trigger emotionally significant responses in high test anxiety students; second, that these responses are not caused merely by the use of virtual reality, since the low test anxiety students showed lower symptoms of anxiety or depression during exposure. These results are consistent with those of other validation studies of virtual environments, in which virtual reality proved effective in producing anxiety responses in subjects with higher scores on fear of public speaking (Pertaub, Slater, & Barker, 2002;Slater et al, 2006), students exposed to socially demanding situations (James et al, 2003), patients with other specific phobias (Robillard et al, 2003), and patients with eating disorders (Gutiérrez-Maldonado et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Validity of virtual reality as a method of exposure in the treatment of test anxiety

Alsina-Jurnet

Carvallo-Beciu

Gutiérrez-Maldonado

2007

Behavior Research Methods

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This is a validation study, aiming to explore the effectiveness of a set of virtual environments for producing emotionally significant responses in students with high levels of test anxiety in order to be able to implement them later in treatment. Twenty-one students agreed to take part, 11 with high test anxiety and 10 with low test anxiety. The virtual environments were prepared in chronological order: the student's home, then the metro, and finally the corridor and lecture hall where the examination takes place. The results showed that the high-testanxiety group presented higher levels of anxiety and depression than the low-test-anxiety group during exposure to the virtual environments. This study shows that virtual reality is able to provoke emotional responses in students with high test anxiety. This validation study should be followed up with treatment studies to evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality therapy for treating test anxiety.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Validity of virtual reality as a method of exposure in the treatment of test anxiety

Alsina-Jurnet

Carvallo-Beciu

Gutiérrez-Maldonado

2007

Behavior Research Methods

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“…However, there is a growing body of experimental data allowing to interpret these results. For example, James et al 27 have immersed 10 non-phobics in various virtual social environments and found an increase in anxiety when users had to interact with virtual humans who appeared disinterested to the presence of the participants. Later on, the same research team 41 compared the reaction of 16 phobics and 20 non-phobics when they gave a speech in one of two conditions: an empty seminar room, or to a group of virtual humans behaving neutrally.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on clinical observations and comparisons with other published outcome studies, the treatment was considered effective. Other research teams are also working on VR treatment designed specifically for social phobias, 26,27 but outcome data have not been reported yet.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual Reality Therapy Versus Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Social Phobia: A Preliminary Controlled Study

Klinger

Bouchard

Légeron

et al. 2005

CyberPsychology & Behavior

252

150

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Social phobia is one of the most frequent mental disorders and is accessible to two forms of scientifically validated treatments: anti-depressant drugs and cognitive behavior therapies (CBT). In this last case, graded exposure to feared social situations is one of the fundamental therapeutic ingredients. Virtual reality technologies are an interesting alternative to the standard exposure in social phobia, especially since studies have shown its usefulness for the fear of public speaking. This paper reports a preliminary study in which a virtual reality therapy (VRT), based on exposure to virtual environments, was used to treat social phobia. The sample consisted of 36 participants diagnosed with social phobia assigned to either VRT or a group-CBT (control condition). The virtual environments used in the treatment recreate four situations dealing with social anxiety: performance, intimacy, scrutiny, and assertiveness. With the help of the therapist, the patient learns adapted cognitions and behaviors in order to reduce anxiety in the corresponding real situations. Both treatments lasted 12 weeks, and sessions were delivered according to a treatment manual. Results showed statistically and clinically significant improvement in both conditions. The effect-sizes comparing the efficacy of VRT to the control traditional group-CBT revealed that the differences between the two treatments are trivial. 76

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“…Other studies have already shown the capacity of VR to elicit states of anxiety in patients with other pathologies. [22][23][24] …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Emotional Reactivity Produced by Exposure to Virtual Environments in Patients with Eating Disorders

Gutiérrez-Maldonado

Ferrer-García

Caqueo-Urízar

et al. 2006

CyberPsychology & Behavior

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The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of virtual environments representing situations that are emotionally significant to subjects with eating disorders (ED). These environments may be applied with both evaluative and therapeutic aims and in simulation procedures to carry out a range of experimental studies. This paper is part of a wider research project analyzing the influence of the situation to which subjects are exposed on their performance on body image estimation tasks. Thirty female patients with eating disorders were exposed to six virtual environments: a living-room (neutral situation), a kitchen with highcalorie food, a kitchen with low-calorie food, a restaurant with high-calorie food, a restaurant with low-calorie food, and a swimming-pool. After exposure to each environment the STAI-S (a measurement of state anxiety) and the CDB (a measurement of depression) were administered to all subjects. The results show that virtual reality instruments are particularly useful for simulating everyday situations that may provoke emotional reactions such as anxiety and depression, in patients with ED. Virtual environments in which subjects are obliged to ingest high-calorie food provoke the highest levels of state anxiety and depression.

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Social Anxiety in Virtual Environments: Results of a Pilot Study

Cited by 41 publications

References 2 publications

Validity of virtual reality as a method of exposure in the treatment of test anxiety

Validity of virtual reality as a method of exposure in the treatment of test anxiety

Virtual Reality Therapy Versus Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Social Phobia: A Preliminary Controlled Study

Assessment of Emotional Reactivity Produced by Exposure to Virtual Environments in Patients with Eating Disorders

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