The Impact of Virtual Reality Exposure on Stress Level and Sense of Competence in Ambulance Workers

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) exposure is used in clinical psychology to treat anxiety disorders. It is also used to enhance resilience in soldiers by allowing them to confront virtual combat environments to help fortify them against the negative consequences of trauma exposure. Most VR studies have focused on military and emergency medical staff; however, thus far, none have investigated VR in ambulance workers (AWs), who are confronted with traumatic situations daily. The current study aimed to assess the impact of a single VR exposure session on self-perceived competence and stress level in a sample of AWs. Participants (N = 40) were randomly assigned to either a VR immersion (i.e., experimental group, n = 20) or an audio immersion (i.e., control group, n = 20) of a shooting attack situation. We hypothesized that compared to controls, VR participants would report decreased anxiety, as measured using visual analog scales, as well as an increased sense of competence. The results showed a significant reduction in fear in both groups, d = 0.33, and an increased sense of competence in VR participants, d = 0.35. Although our hypotheses were only partially confirmed, the observed beneficial effects of VR and the audio immersion on stress levels in AWs suggest that VR exposure could be a useful way to increase resilience in AWs.

Use of Virtual Reality Techniques to Rehabilitate Military Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Review)

“…Psychophysiological measures can provide important additional data for studying VRET responses variability. Psychophysiological methods of autonomic nervous system research are used to monitor the process of PTSD treatment with VRET, to predict and objectively evaluate the results [ 20 , 45 , 47 , 53 ]. For instance, Gramlich et al [ 6 ] recorded heart rate (HR), GSR, and skin temperature every 5 min during VR sessions, comparing the results with the clinicians’ assessment and self-questionnaire data.…”

“…Thereby, service providers may need to adapt existing treatments to meet individual patient needs. An important problem is the risk of developing secondary traumatic stress among physicians and other personnel providing psychiatric care to military personnel, veterans, and persons who were in a conflict zone and faced traumatic situations daily [ 8 , 20 , 21 ].…”