Treatment of a case of public-speaking anxiety by in vivo desensitization and cue-controlled relaxation

No previous trial has been reported in which only patients with social phobia were treated. There were nine such patients in a previous trial involving 18 agoraphobics and 18 other phobics (Gelder et al, 1973), in which they responded poorly to desensitization but no conclusion could be drawn from such a small sample. Gordon Paul (1966) found that volunteers with public speaking anxiety, a limited manifestation of social phobia, responded better to desensitization than to psychotherapy. Donald Meichenbaum (1971) also showed that similar volunteers responded well to desensitization but when social anxiety was more general subjects did better with a psychotherapy involving modification of self-instructions. It seemed clear that desensitization in the treatment of patients with social anxiety required further investigation and in the present trial it was compared with imaginal implosion and also with social skills training, an in-vivo treatment.

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A Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Virtual Reality and In Vivo Exposure Therapy as Psychological Interventions for Public Speaking Anxiety

Behavior Modification ◽

10.1177/0145445521991102 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 014544552199110

Author(s):

Rachel Reeves ◽

David Curran ◽

Amanda Gleeson ◽

Donncha Hanna

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Public Speaking ◽

Exposure Therapy ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Mode Of Delivery ◽

Public Speaking Anxiety ◽

Future Research ◽

Psychological Interventions ◽

Speaking Anxiety

Public speaking anxiety (PSA) is a prevalent condition with disabling occupational, educational, and social consequences. Exposure therapy is a commonly utilized approach for treating PSA. Traditionally, this intervention has been delivered as in vivo exposure therapy (IVET). Limitations inherent to in vivo as a mode of delivery have been identified and studies have increasingly explored the use of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) as an alternative. Understanding the efficacy of both VRET and IVET as psychological interventions for PSA is important. A systematic search identified 11 studies with 508 participants. Meta-analysis yielded a large significant effect wherein VRET resulted in significant reductions in PSA versus control of −1.39 ( Z = 3.96, p < .001) and a similar large significant effect wherein IVET resulted in significant reductions in PSA versus control of −1.41 ( Z = 7.51, p < .001). Although IVET was marginally superior to VRET, both interventions proved efficacious. Given the advantages of utilizing VRET over IVET future research and clinical practice could explore VRET as a treatment option for PSA.

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Virtual Reality Treatment for Public Speaking Anxiety in Students. Advancements and Results in Personalized Medicine

Journal of Personalized Medicine ◽

10.3390/jpm10010014 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 14 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Francisco-Javier Hinojo-Lucena ◽

Inmaculada Aznar-Díaz ◽

María-Pilar Cáceres-Reche ◽

Juan-Manuel Trujillo-Torres ◽

José-María Romero-Rodríguez

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Public Speaking ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Scientific Literature ◽

Public Speaking Anxiety ◽

Exclusion Criteria ◽

Speaking Anxiety ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Time Period

Public speaking anxiety (PSA) is a common phobia in the student population. Traditionally, exposure therapy has been used as a treatment. However, the use of virtual reality (VR) is increasingly common to treat PSA. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the published scientific literature on VR as a treatment for PSA in students. The articles indexed in two databases (Web of Science and Scopus) were analyzed, with a time period from the beginning of the first publications until 2019 included. The systematic literature review was based on fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 13 studies were identified which included 481 students. The results collected indicate that the duration of treatments to have positive effects was at least one week, where the number of sessions was between one and twelve. Furthermore, most VR treatments reported positive effects. Finally, this study showed evidence that VR treatment for PSA is effective while being less invasive than in vivo exposure.

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