Virtual reality and acrophobia: one-year follow-up and case study

Cyberpsychol Behav. 2006 Jun;9(3):336-41. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2006.9.336.

Abstract

We present a study with 10 subjects being exposed to three sessions of simulated heights in a virtual reality (VR) system. Among the participants we highlight a 66-year-old man blind in his left eye. The participants show significant progress in anxiety, avoidance, and behavior measurements when confronted with real height circumstances. The results obtained 1 year later at follow-up are statistically significant in the Behavioral Avoidance Test (BAT) and the Attitudes Toward Heights Questionnaire (ATHQ), but not the Acrophobia Questionnaire (AQ).

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Phobic Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Phobic Disorders / psychology*
  • Space Perception*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • User-Computer Interface*