This 2011 paper analyzes the results of 608 studies to compare the effectiveness of traditional anxiety disorder treatment vs virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET.) The results of VRET were by far more effective than being on the waitlist. No surprise there. VRET was also shown to be just as effective in it’s effect on people’s lives, and just as stable in it’s results over time as traditional therapies.
Title
Virtual reality exposure therapy in anxiety disorders: a quantitative meta-analysis
Abstract
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is a promising intervention for the treatment of the anxiety disorders. The main objective of this meta-analysis is to compare the efficacy of VRET, used in a behavioral or cognitive-behavioral framework, with that of the classical evidence-based treatments, in anxiety disorders. A comprehensive search of the literature identified 23 studies (n = 608) that were included in the final analysis. The results show that in the case of anxiety disorders, (1) VRET does far better than the waitlist control; (2) the post-treatment results show similar efficacy between the behavioral and the cognitive behavioral interventions incorporating a virtual reality exposure component and the classical evidence-based interventions, with no virtual reality exposure component; (3) VRET has a powerful real-life impact, similar to that of the classical evidence-based treatments; (4) VRET has a good stability of results over time, similar to that of the classical evidence-based treatments; (5) there is a dose–response relationship for VRET; and (6) there is no difference in the dropout rate between the virtual reality exposure and the in vivo exposure. Implications are discussed. Depression and Anxiety 0:1–9, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Citation
Opriş, D., Pintea, S., García-Palacios, A., Botella, C., Szamosközi, Ş. and David, D. (2012), Virtual reality exposure therapy in anxiety disorders: a quantitative meta-analysis. Depress. Anxiety, 29: 85–93. doi: 10.1002/da.20910
Funded by
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion, Spain. Grant Number: PSI2010-17563