Efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy for individuals with Arachnophobia: a pilot study

Lopes, Inês Ferreira

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/29837

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Authors

Lopes, Inês Ferreira

Advisor(s)

Almeida, Raquel Simões de

Marques, António

Abstract(s)

Arachnophobia is a type of specific phobia and is defined as an extreme fear of spiders. It affects between 3.5% and 6.1% of the population. It is a chronic disorder that can have an impacto n people’s lives, as individuals with Arachnophobia tend to avoid situations where spiders are likely to be present. Through Virtual Reality, as exposure therapy, it is possible to obtain more assertive controlo f the therapeutic environment, facilitating adaptability and problem-solving and offering greater possibilities for personalization, flexibility, and control of the therapeutic process. This quasi-experimental study without a control group aimed to assess the effectiveness and impact of an intervention based on Virtual Reality in the treatment of arachnophobia. The sample consisted of 25 people. The impact of the program was measured through participation in a BAT and completion of the Fear of Spiders Questionnaire (FSQ) and the Spider Phobia questionnaire (SPQ-15) before and after the intervention and after two weeks (follow-up). The results of this study suggest that exposure therapy using Virtual Reality shows positive results and is a promising approach to treating individuals with spider phobia. Although some of the results are not entirely conclusive, significant positive differences were observed in all the evaluations carried out in relation to anxiogenic situations.