Planert Jari, Hildebrand Anne-Sophie, Machulska Alla, Roesmann Kati, Neubert Marie, Pilgramm Sebastian, Pilgramm Juliane, Klucken Tim
Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany.
Institute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy in Childhood and Adolescence, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany.
JMIR Hum Factors. 2025 Apr 24;12:e60957. doi: 10.2196/60957.
Guided mobile-based interventions may mitigate symptoms of anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, agoraphobia, or social anxiety disorder. With exposure therapy being efficacious in traditional treatments for these disorders, recent advancements have introduced 360° videos to deliver virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) within mobile-based interventions.
Despite ongoing trials evaluating the treatment's efficacy, research examining patient perceptions of this innovative approach is still scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to explore patient opinions on specific treatment aspects of mobile-based interventions using mobile VRET and psychotherapeutic guidance for anxiety disorders.
A total of 11 patients diagnosed with panic disorder, agoraphobia, or social anxiety disorder who had previously taken part in the experimental conditions of 2 randomized controlled trials for a mobile intervention including mobile VRET participated in cross-sectional, retrospective interviews. Using a semistructured interview format, patients were asked to reflect on their treatment experiences; personal changes; helpful and hindering aspects; their motivation levels; and their encounters with the mobile-based intervention, manualized treatment sessions, and the mobile VRET.
Thematic analysis led to the formation of 14 themes in four superordinate categories: (1) perceived treatment outcomes, (2) aspects of the mobile intervention, (3) experiences with mobile VRET, and (4) contextual considerations. Patients offered their insights into factors contributing to treatment success or failure, delineated perceived treatment outcomes, and highlighted favorable aspects of the treatment while pointing out shortcomings and suggesting potential enhancements. Most strikingly, while using a blended app-based intervention, patients highlighted the role of psychotherapeutic guidance as a central contributing factor to their symptom improvement.
The findings of the thematic analysis and its diverse patient perspectives hold the potential to guide future research to improve mobile-based treatment options for anxiety disorders. Insights from these patient experiences can contribute to refining mobile-based interventions and optimizing the integration of VRET in accordance with patients' preferences, needs, and expectations.
基于移动设备的引导式干预可能会减轻焦虑症的症状，如惊恐障碍、广场恐惧症或社交焦虑症。暴露疗法在这些疾病的传统治疗中是有效的，最近的进展引入了360°视频，以便在基于移动设备的干预中提供虚拟现实暴露疗法（VRET）。
尽管正在进行评估该治疗效果的试验，但研究患者对这种创新方法的看法的研究仍然很少。因此，本研究旨在探讨患者对使用移动VRET和心理治疗指导的基于移动设备的焦虑症干预特定治疗方面的看法。
共有11名被诊断患有惊恐障碍、广场恐惧症或社交焦虑症的患者，他们之前参加了两项关于包括移动VRET在内的移动干预的随机对照试验的实验条件，参与了横断面回顾性访谈。采用半结构化访谈形式，要求患者反思他们的治疗经历；个人变化；有帮助和有阻碍的方面；他们的动机水平；以及他们与基于移动设备的干预、手册化治疗课程和移动VRET的接触。
主题分析在四个上位类别中形成了14个主题：（1）感知到的治疗结果，（2）移动干预的方面，（3）移动VRET的体验，以及（4）背景因素。患者对促成治疗成功或失败的因素发表了见解，描述了感知到的治疗结果，强调了治疗的有利方面，同时指出了缺点并提出了潜在的改进建议。最引人注目的是，在使用基于混合应用程序的干预时，患者强调心理治疗指导作为其症状改善的核心促成因素的作用。
主题分析的结果及其多样的患者观点有可能指导未来的研究，以改善基于移动设备的焦虑症治疗选择。这些患者经历的见解有助于完善基于移动设备的干预措施，并根据患者的偏好、需求和期望优化VRET的整合。
