scholarly journals Virtual Reality Self-help Treatment for Aviophobia: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

10.2196/22008 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. e22008
Author(s):  
Jamie Rhiannon Fehribach ◽  
Marieke Bianca Jolien Toffolo ◽  
Ilja Cornelisz ◽  
Chris van Klaveren ◽  
Annemieke van Straten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Treatment Effect ◽  
Exposure Therapy ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Fear Of Flying ◽  
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Virtual Reality Exposure

Background Aviophobia (the fear of flying) can greatly impact the daily life functioning of people with the condition. Traditional exposure-based treatment is hampered by the limited availability of airplane practice situations, which is a result of economical and practical concerns. Easily accessible and low-cost virtual reality exposure therapy may address these challenges. Objective The purpose of our study is to investigate the effectiveness of ZeroPhobia: Aviophobia (a self-help mobile app–based treatment) in reducing flight anxiety symptoms and depressive and anxiety symptoms. We will also investigate the effects of usage intensity, the sense of immersion, inherent absorption ability, and perceived user-friendliness on the treatment effect. Methods Participants (N=114) who are aged 18-64 years and experience at least mild symptoms of aviophobia will be recruited from the general Dutch population and randomized into a treatment group or waitlist control group. By using their own phones and rudimentary mobile virtual reality headsets, participants will receive six modules of psychoeducation and cognitive behavioral therapy, which will include six levels of virtual reality exposure therapy over a period of 6 weeks. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, posttest (ie, after 6 weeks), and 3- and 12-month follow-ups. The primary outcome measure of our study is the Flight Anxiety Situations Questionnaire. The secondary outcome measures include anxiety and depression measures and additional covariates (including usage intensity, the degree of immersion, etc). We will test treatment effectiveness by conducting an intention-to-treat analysis and estimating average treatment effects on the treated. The mechanisms of treatment effect will also be explored. Results The study was funded on September 25, 2018. Ethical approval was received on October 11, 2019. Recruitment closed on May 7, 2020. Conclusions Our study will further the scientific understanding and clinical implications of technology’s current ability to aid in providing effective, accessible treatment for the fear of flying. Trial Registration Netherlands Trial Registry NL70238.029.19; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/8257. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/22008

scholarly journals Virtual reality self-help treatment for aviophobia: A protocol for a randomized-controlled trial (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Rhiannon Fehribach ◽  
Marieke Toffolo ◽  
Ilja Cornelisz ◽  
Chris van Klaveren ◽  
Annemieke van Straten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Treatment Effect ◽  
Exposure Therapy ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Practical Reasons ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Fear Of Flying ◽  
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy ◽  
Virtual Reality Exposure

BACKGROUND Aviophobia (fear of flying) can greatly impact daily life functioning in those afflicted. Traditional exposure-based treatment is hampered by limited availability to practice with airplane situations due to economical and practical reasons. Low-cost and easily accessible virtual reality exposure therapy may address these challenges. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of ZeroPhobia: Aviophobia in reducing flight anxiety symptoms as well as depressive and anxiety symptoms. We will also investigate the effect of usage intensity, sense of immersion, inherent absorption ability, and perceived user-friendliness on the treatment effect. METHODS Participants (n = 113, age 18 - 64 reporting at least mild symptoms of aviophobia) will be recruited from the Dutch general population and randomized to receive treatment or waitlist control. Using their own phone and rudimentary mobile virtual reality headset, participants will receive six modules of psychoeducation and elements of cognitive behavioral therapy, including six levels of virtual reality exposure therapy over a period of six weeks. Assessments occur at baseline, post-test (6 weeks), and 3- and 12-month follow-ups. The primary outcome of this research is the Flight Anxiety Situations Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes include measurements of anxiety and depression, as well as additional covariates (including usage intensity, degree of immersion, etc.). We will test the effectiveness using Intention to Treat (ITT) and Average Treatment effects on the Treated (ATT) analysis. Mechanisms of treatment effect will also be explored. RESULTS Funded on 25 September 2018. Ethical approval received on 11 October 2019. Recruitment closed on 7 May 2020. CONCLUSIONS The present study will further scientific understanding and clinical implications of technology’s current ability to aid in effective, accessible treatment for fear of flying. CLINICALTRIAL Netherlands Trial Registry, NL70238.029.19, 2019-11-04, https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/8257

A controlled study of virtual reality exposure therapy for the fear of flying.

2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1020-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Olasov Rothbaum ◽  
Larry Hodges ◽  
Samantha Smith ◽  
Jeong Hwan Lee ◽  
Larry Price
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Exposure Therapy ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Fear Of Flying ◽  
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy ◽  
Virtual Reality Exposure

scholarly journals Effects of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy on Dentophobia in Clients of Dental Offices in Isfahan, Tehran, and Shahrekord (Iran)

2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Majidi ◽  
Gholamreza Manshaee
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Exposure Therapy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Statistical Population ◽  
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy ◽  
Dental Offices ◽  
Virtual Reality Exposure ◽  
Experimental Group

Background: Dentophobia can reduce the number of regular visits to dentists and endanger the oral health of people. New technologies such as virtual reality (VR) can be used in the treatment of psychological problems such as dentophobia. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) on dentophobia in clients of dental offices in the cities of Isfahan, Tehran, and Shahrekord in 2020. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design and a control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all clients with dentophobia visiting private dental clinics of Isfahan, Tehran, and Shahrekord in 2020. Thirty clients with dentophobia who were willing to participate in the research were selected as the sample using convenience sampling and randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n = 15 per group). The experimental group underwent eight sessions (15-minutes sessions per week) of virtual reality exposure therapy, while the control group received no intervention. The follow-up was performed after 45 days. The research instruments included the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), Samsung Gear 360 (2017 Edition), and HTC VIVE Pro Virtual Reality Headset. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: The results showed that virtual reality exposure therapy effectively decreased dentophobia in clients of dental offices in the experimental group (P = 0.0001). Conclusions: According to research findings, virtual reality exposure therapy was an efficient therapy for improving dentophobia and reducing phobia symptoms in clients of dental offices.

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