VR technology can succeed in dealing with fear of heights, says new study

A new study by psychiatry professor Daniel Freeman and colleagues from the University of Oxford indicates that virtual reality (VR) technology can be successful in the treatment of the fear of heights. The results indicate that the use of VR technology has clinical efficacy "at least as good as that of face-to-face treatment" and that the benefits of treatment remain when measured again after four weeks of treatment .

In treatment, VR therapy is led by a virtual coach who guides the user through 30-minute virtual sessions where the user performs tasks designed to help reduce their fear of heights.

first session at the virtual coach provide a brief overview of the psychological underpinnings of fear of heights and treatment.

How was the study done?

The methodology used for the study was a randomized controlled trial ] considered by many to be the gold standard for research design, among other things because participants are randomly badigned to the group (treatment or control), which in turn reduces the bias in the results. At the back During the research period, participants in the control group could receive VR treatment if they were looking for it.

Research was conducted with participants over 18 years of age who had self-reported fear . responded to a recruitment announcement. These participants completed a questionnaire to measure their fear, and those who scored a certain threshold participated in the trial.

Those who took part in the trial totaled 100 with 49 participants undergoing VR treatment over a two-week period

published in British Medical Journal, The Lancet Psychiatry Research suggests that VR technology has a lot of feasibility to be used as a method of delivering psychological therapies. He suggests that in the future VR-delivered therapy could even take place at home.

Broader Background

This research is part of a larger project of Oxford VR, an "Oxford University". validated, cost-effective and user-centric treatments for clinical conditions, "according to the project website. Earlier this year, the team made a funding offer of £ 4,000,000 from the National Center for Health Research (NIHR) that will be used for the creation of VR therapies for mental health [19659012]. The intention is then to use the technology in the NHS for the first time.

Speaking of the project, the principal investigator, professor of psychiatry and clinical psychologist, Daniel Freeman, said: "When people put on our helmets, a virtual coach takes them into computer-generated simulations of situations that he finds troubling. "The gains achieved by the patients are then" transfer [ed] to the real world "because" the experiment triggers the same psychological and physiological reactions as the others. " real life. "

The positive results of this study will pave the way for future research on therapy delivered using VR technology.