27847
document
Virtual reality exposure therapy and standard ( in vivo ) exposure therapy in the treatment of fear of flying . This controlled clinical trial tested virtual reality exposure ( VRE ) therapy for the fear of flying ( FOF ) , a relatively new and innovative way to do exposure therapy , and compared it to standard ( in vivo ) exposure therapy ( SE ) and a wait list ( WL ) control with a 6- and 12-month follow-up . Eighty-three participants with FOF were randomly assigned to VRE , SE , or WL . Seventy-five participants , 25 per group , completed the study . Twenty-three WL participants completed randomly assigned treatment following the waiting period . Treatment consisted of 4 sessions of anxiety management training followed either by exposure to a virtual airplane ( VRE ) or an actual airplane at the airport ( SE ) conducted over 6 weeks . Results indicate that VRE was superior to WL on all measures , including willingness to fly on the posttreatment flight ( 76 % for VRE and SE ; 20 % for WL ) . VRE and SE were essentially equivalent on standardized questionnaires , willingness to fly , anxiety ratings during the flight , self-ratings of improvement , and patient satisfaction with treatment . Follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months indicated that treatment gains were maintained , with more than 70 % of respondents from both groups reporting continued flying at follow-up . Based on these findings , the use of VRE in the treatment of FOF was supported in this controlled study , suggesting that experiences in the virtual world can change experiences in the real world .
27848
Intervention_Physical
Virtual reality exposure therapy
27849
Intervention_Physical
standard ( in vivo ) exposure therapy
27850
Intervention_Physical
virtual reality exposure ( VRE ) therapy
27851
Intervention_Physical
standard ( in vivo ) exposure therapy ( SE )
27852
Intervention_Educational
4 sessions of anxiety management training followed either by exposure to a virtual airplane ( VRE )
27853
Intervention_Educational
an actual airplane at the airport ( SE )
27854
Intervention_Educational
VRE
27855
Intervention_Control
WL
27856
Intervention_Physical
VRE
27857
Intervention_Physical
SE
27858
Outcome_Mental
willingness to fly on the posttreatment flight
27859
Outcome_Other
standardized questionnaires
27860
Outcome_Mental
willingness to fly
27861
Outcome_Mental
anxiety ratings during the flight
27862
Outcome_Mental
self-ratings of improvement
27863
Outcome_Mental
patient satisfaction with treatment
27864
Participant_Condition
fear of flying
27865
Participant_Condition
fear of flying ( FOF
27866
Participant_Sample-size
Eighty-three participants
27867
Participant_Condition
with FOF
27868
Participant_Sample-size
Seventy-five participants
27869
Participant_Sample-size
25 per group
27870
Participant_Sample-size
Twenty-three