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A gamified virtual reality exposure therapy for individuals with Arachnophobia: a pilot study

2025-04-14Research article Open access
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dc.contributor.authorLopes, Inês
dc.contributor.authorAlmeida, Raquel Simões de
dc.contributor.authorGomes, Paulo Veloso
dc.contributor.authorMarques, António
dc.contributor.authorSimões de Almeida, Raquel
dc.contributor.authorMachado Veloso Gomes, Paulo Sérgio
dc.contributor.authorPereira da Silva Marques, António José
dc.date.accessioned2025-11-03T14:13:01Z
dc.date.available2025-11-03T14:13:01Z
dc.date.issued2025-04-14
dc.description.abstractArachnophobia is a specific phobia characterized by an intense and persistent fear of spiders, often leading to avoidance behaviors that can significantly impact daily life. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) offers a controlled, adaptable, and immersive therapeutic environment, allowing for greater personalization, flexibility, and the real-time modulation of exposure parameters. This pilot study employed a quasi-experimental design without a control group to evaluate the efficacy of a gamified VRET intervention for treating arachnophobia. A sample of 25 participants underwent the intervention, with outcomes assessed through a Behavioral Approach Test (BAT) and self-report measures, including the Fear of Spiders Questionnaire (FSQ) and the Spider Phobia Questionnaire (SPQ-15), administered pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at a two-week follow-up. Findings indicate that gamified VRET led to significant reductions in self-reported fear and avoidance behaviors, suggesting its potential as an effective therapeutic tool for arachnophobia. Although some results were not entirely conclusive, the overall improvements observed support further investigation in larger, controlled trials.por
dc.identifier.citationLopes, I., Simões de Almeida, R., Veloso Gomes, P., & Marques, A. (2025). A gamified virtual reality exposure therapy for individuals with Arachnophobia: a pilot study. Virtual Worlds, 4(2), 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/virtualworlds4020015
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/virtualworlds4020015
dc.identifier.eissn2813-2084
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/30710
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.relation.hasversionhttps://www.mdpi.com/2813-2084/4/2/15
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectAnxiety disorders
dc.subjectArachnophobia
dc.subjectFear of spiders
dc.subjectExposure therapy
dc.subjectVirtual reality
dc.titleA gamified virtual reality exposure therapy for individuals with Arachnophobia: a pilot studypor
dc.typeresearch article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.issue2
oaire.citation.titleVirtual Worlds
oaire.citation.volume4
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyNameSimões de Almeida
person.familyNameMachado Veloso Gomes
person.familyNamePereira da Silva Marques
person.givenNameRaquel
person.givenNamePaulo Sérgio
person.givenNameAntónio José
person.identifier1776356
person.identifierU-7458-2017
person.identifier.ciencia-idBC1D-085F-F01E
person.identifier.ciencia-id9A16-6189-1AE7
person.identifier.ciencia-id8811-40B4-D5FC
person.identifier.orcid0000-0003-4703-1712
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-3975-2395
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-8656-5023
relation.isAuthorOfPublication66c4b88b-b458-49c0-8db9-da5d944ffd58
relation.isAuthorOfPublication71e30824-bcc4-48cc-b0fd-6244ba5d1869
relation.isAuthorOfPublicationaf6a03ee-cd62-426a-980a-b5c92c4b46d5
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery66c4b88b-b458-49c0-8db9-da5d944ffd58

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