The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Module for Reducing Acrophobia Symptoms

Abstract

The amount of places that require a person to be in high-altitude circumstances is a barrier for people who are afraid of heights or also known as acrophobia. The therapist can offer a 3D stimulus using Virtual Reality (VR), making it a more efficient alternative to exposure treatments. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy is the practice of exposing oneself to a fearful stimulus via a VR camera (VRET). The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the VRET module in reducing acrophobia symptoms. The pretest-posttest control group design was utilized in the study. Participants with acrophobia were separated into two groups: the control (n=14) and the experimental (n=15) who received VRET treatment. They completed the Acrophobia Questionnaire (AQ) before and after the nine VRET sessions. Compared to control condition, participants in the experimental group reported lower scores in AQ-Anxiety and AQ-Avoidance. Furthermore, each exposure session results in a significant decrease in psychological assessments utilizing the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Autonomic Perception Questionnaire scales. A significant decrease has also occurred in the Respiratory Rate and Skin Conductance indicators. According to the findings of this study, the VRET module is effective in reducing the psychological and physiological symptoms of acrophobia.

Aplikasi Virtual Reality untuk Media Terapi Phobia Ketinggian

“…Pada umumnya detak jantung orang dewasa normal berkisar 60bpm -100bpm [15], [16], namun ada beberapa aktifitas dan keadaan naiknya laju detak jantung termasuk juga rasa cemas berlebih terhadap suatu hal. Pada Tabel 12 adalah hasil dari pengguna yang tidak memiliki phobia ketinggian dan terdapat keterangan hasil yang diambil dari data detak jantung pengguna, dari hasil detak jantung dan waktu menggunakan aplikasi cukup baik dan terbilang singkat dan diberi keterangan hasil normal (tidak memiliki phobia), sedangkan pada pengguna yang memiliki phobia ketinggian, pada data detak jantung mengalami kenaikan yang sangat jelas, dan waktu dalam menggunakan aplikasi terbilang lebih lama dari pengguna yang tidak memiliki phobia, sehingga mendapatkan keterangan buruk (memiliki phobia ketinggian)…”