Titel
Virtual reality exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): a meta-analysis
Autor*in
... show all
Abstract
Contrary to specific phobias, for which Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) constitutes an effective treatment, uncertainty still exists regarding the usefulness of VRET for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, this meta-analysis investigated the efficacy of VRET for PTSD as compared to waitlist and active comparators. A literature search yielded nine controlled studies encompassing 296 participants (124 VRET, 172 controls). The differences between conditions regarding the primary outcome of PTSD symptom severity and the secondary outcome of depressive and anxiety symptoms post-treatment were calculated using Hedges’ g. Compared to waitlist controls, VRET showed a significantly better outcome for PTSD symptoms (g = 0.62, p = .017) and depressive symptoms (g = 0.50, p = .008). There was no significant difference between VRET and active comparators regarding PTSD symptoms (g = 0.25, p = .356) and depressive symptoms (g = 0.24, p = .340) post-treatment. No significant effects emerged for anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that VRET may be as effective as active comparators for PTSD patients. However, the results must be interpreted with caution due to the limited number of trials and the substantial number of – predominantly male – military service members studied. Additional controlled trials, considering a wider range of trauma types and balanced gender, are required to strengthen the evidence.
Stichwort
Posttraumatic stress disordervirtual realityexposure therapymeta-analysisdepressionanxiety
Objekt-Typ
Sprache
Englisch [eng]
Persistent identifier
Erschienen in
Titel
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
Band
10
Ausgabe
1
ISSN
2000-8198
Erscheinungsdatum
2019
Seitenanfang
1654782
Publication
Informa UK Limited
Erscheinungsdatum
2019
Zugänglichkeit
Rechte
Rechteangabe
© 2019 The Author(s)
Universität Wien | Universitätsring 1 | 1010 Wien | T
+43-1-4277-0