Data_Sheet_1_Attitudes Toward and Familiarity With Virtual Reality Therapy Among Practicing Cognitive Behavior Therapists: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study in the Era of Consumer VR Platforms.PDF

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is an efficacious treatment for fear and anxiety and has the potential to solve both logistic issues for therapists and be used for scalable self-help interventions. However, VRET has yet to see large-scale implementation in clinical settings or as a consumer product, and past research suggests that while therapists may acknowledge the many advantages of VRET, they view the technology as technically inaccessible and expensive. We reasoned that after the 2016 release of several consumer virtual reality (VR) platforms and associated public acquaintance with VR, therapists’ concerns about VRET may have evolved. The present study surveyed attitudes toward and familiarity with VR and VRET among practicing cognitive behavior therapists (n = 185) attending a conference. Results showed that therapists had an overall positive attitude toward VRET (pros rated higher than cons) and viewed VR as applicable to conditions other than anxiety. Unlike in earlier research, high financial costs and technical difficulties were no longer top-rated negative aspects. Average negative attitude was a larger negative predictor of self-rated likelihood of future use than positive attitude was a positive predictor and partially mediated the positive association between VRET knowledge and likelihood of future use, suggesting that promotional efforts should focus on addressing concerns. We conclude that therapist’s attitudes toward VRET appear to have evolved in recent years, and no longer appear to constitute a major barrier to implementing the next generation of VR technology in regular clinical practice.

虚拟现实暴露疗法（VRET）是一种有效的恐惧和焦虑治疗手段，具有解决治疗师物流问题以及用于可扩展的自我帮助干预的潜力。然而，VRET在临床环境或作为消费者产品的大规模实施尚属少见，过往研究表明，尽管治疗师可能承认VRET的众多优势，但他们仍视该技术为技术上的难以触及且成本高昂。我们认为，自2016年数款消费者虚拟现实（VR）平台发布及其与公众对VR的熟悉度提高后，治疗师对VRET的担忧可能已经发生变化。本研究调查了参与会议的185名实际执业的认知行为治疗师对VR和VRET的态度及熟悉度。结果显示，治疗师对VRET持总体积极态度（正面评价高于负面评价），并将VR视为适用于焦虑以外的多种状况。与早期研究不同，高昂的经济成本和技术难题已不再是首要的负面因素。平均负面态度成为自我评估未来使用可能性的较大负面预测因子，而正面态度成为积极预测因子，并在一定程度上缓解了VRET知识与未来使用可能性之间的正相关关系，这表明促销活动应着重解决相关担忧。我们得出结论，治疗师对VRET的态度似乎在近年来有所演变，并且不再构成实施下一代VR技术在常规临床实践中的主要障碍。