Data_Sheet_1_Efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy on symptoms of acrophobia and anxiety sensitivity in adolescent girls: A randomized controlled trial.docx

BackgroundAcrophobia is a specific phobia characterized by a severe fear of heights. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of two therapies that may ameliorate symptoms of acrophobia and anxiety sensitivity, i.e., virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy with a Waiting List Control Condition (WLCC).
MethodsWe applied a three-armed randomized controlled pre-post-test design with 45 female adolescent students. Students who met DSM-5 criteria for acrophobia were randomly assigned to either VRET (N = 15; Mage = 17.26; SD = 1.32), EMDR (N = 15; Mage = 17.15; SD = 1.57), or a WLCC (N = 15; Mage = 17.50; SD = 1.26). The study groups were evaluated one week before the intervention and one week after the last intervention session regarding symptoms of acrophobia (Severity Measure for Acrophobia) and anxiety sensitivity (Anxiety Sensitivity Index).
ResultsThe data showed that both the application of VRET and EMDR therapy were associated with significantly reduced symptoms of acrophobia (d = 1.03 for VRET and d = 1.08 for EMDR) and anxiety sensitivity (d = 1.15 for VRET and d = 1.13 for EMDR) in comparison to the Waiting List.
LimitationsThe sample consisted only of adolescent women. Due to the recognizable differences between the two interventions, the therapists and the participants were not blind to the conditions.
ConclusionThe results suggest that both VRET and EMDR are interventions that can significantly improve symptoms of acrophobia and anxiety sensitivity in female adolescents.
Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.irct.ir/trial/57391, identifier: IRCT20210213050343N1.

背景：恐高症（acrophobia）是一类以对高度产生强烈恐惧为核心特征的特定恐惧症。本研究旨在探讨两种可缓解恐高症与焦虑敏感症状的疗法的疗效，即虚拟现实暴露疗法（virtual reality exposure therapy, VRET）与眼动脱敏与再加工疗法（eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, EMDR），并设置等待列表对照组（Waiting List Control Condition, WLCC）作为对照。
方法：本研究采用三臂随机对照前后测设计，共纳入45名女性青少年学生。符合《精神障碍诊断与统计手册第五版（DSM-5）》恐高症诊断标准的学生被随机分配至VRET组（n=15；平均年龄Mage=17.26；标准差SD=1.32）、EMDR组（n=15；平均年龄Mage=17.15；标准差SD=1.57）或等待列表对照组（WLCC组，n=15；平均年龄Mage=17.50；标准差SD=1.26）。研究团队分别于干预前1周及末次干预疗程结束后1周，针对受试者的恐高症状（恐高严重度量表，Severity Measure for Acrophobia）与焦虑敏感水平（焦虑敏感指数量表，Anxiety Sensitivity Index）开展评估。
结果：数据显示，与等待列表对照组相比，VRET与EMDR疗法均能显著降低受试者的恐高症状（VRET组d=1.03，EMDR组d=1.08）与焦虑敏感水平（VRET组d=1.15，EMDR组d=1.13）。
局限性：本研究样本仅包含女性青少年群体。由于两种干预措施存在可辨识的差异，治疗师与受试者均无法对分组情况实施盲法。
结论：研究结果表明，VRET与EMDR均可显著改善女性青少年的恐高症状与焦虑敏感水平。
临床试验注册：https://www.irct.ir/trial/57391，注册编号：IRCT20210213050343N1。