Research Unit for Telepsychiatry and e-Mental Health, Centre for Telepsychiatry, Odense, Denmark.
The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2020 Jul;23(7):495-499. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2019.0295. Epub 2020 Jun 17.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) involves intense fear of being scrutinized, judged, or embarrassed in public. Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is an exposure tool for SAD. Previous studies have developed computer-generated avatars and virtual environments, but this method is time-consuming and expensive. Preliminary evidence shows that 360-degree virtual reality (VR) videos with real-life situations may be an easy, relatively cheap, and effective alternative. This study aimed to develop VR videos with real-life content from a shopping situation and to evaluate participants' anxiety responses and feelings of presence. Three 360-degree VR videos were filmed in a shopping center. Nine patients with SAD and nine controls matched on gender and age participated in the study. The participants' levels of anxiety during the VR videos were assessed using the Subjective Unit of Discomfort Scale and through semistructured interviews. The SAD patients reported higher levels of presence and significantly increased anxiety levels before, during, and after the videos, whereas controls reported no symptom of anxiety. The patients found the videos authentic and recommended VRET to be integrated into the early stages of treatment before exposure. Anxiety responses can be triggered in patients with SAD by 360-degree shopping videos. Further studied are needed to investigate the potential of using 360-degree videos for VRET in anxiety disorders.
社交焦虑障碍（SAD）涉及到在公众场合被审视、评判或尴尬的强烈恐惧。虚拟现实暴露疗法（VRET）是一种治疗 SAD 的暴露工具。先前的研究已经开发了计算机生成的头像和虚拟环境，但这种方法既耗时又昂贵。初步证据表明，具有真实场景的 360 度虚拟现实（VR）视频可能是一种简单、相对便宜且有效的替代方法。本研究旨在从购物场景中开发具有真实内容的 VR 视频，并评估参与者的焦虑反应和存在感。在购物中心拍摄了三个 360 度 VR 视频。9 名 SAD 患者和 9 名按性别和年龄匹配的对照组参加了这项研究。参与者在 VR 视频中的焦虑程度通过主观不适量表和半结构化访谈进行评估。SAD 患者报告说存在感更高，并且在视频前后的焦虑水平显著增加，而对照组则没有出现焦虑症状。患者发现视频真实，并建议在暴露前的治疗早期将 VRET 整合进去。360 度购物视频可以引发 SAD 患者的焦虑反应。需要进一步研究以调查在焦虑障碍中使用 360 度视频进行 VRET 的潜力。
