Attitudes towards and familiarity with Virtual Reality therapy among practicing cognitive behavior therapists: A first survey study in the era of consumer VR platforms

Attitudes towards and familiarity with Virtual Reality therapy among practicing cognitive behavior therapists : A first survey study in the era of consumer VR platforms

Objectives: To survey attitudes towards, knowledge of and familiarity with Virtual Reality (VR) technology and VR exposure therapy among practicing cognitive behavior therapists, after the recent release of consumer VR platforms, with the aim of identifying potential human barriers to implementing this technology and therapeutic method in regular care. Participants: 185 practicing cognitive behavior therapists attending a conference.Measures: Self-rated likelihood of future use of VR in a clinical setting, applicability of VR to treating specific mental disorders, as well as ratings of different positive and negative aspects of VR exposure therapy – all assessed using a standardized survey.Results: Very few respondents reported having used VR clinically. 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, a high financial cost was no longer a 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.Conclusions: We conclude that therapist’s attitudes towards VRET appear to have evolved in recent years, coinciding with the release of consumer VR platforms, and no longer appear to constitute a major barrier to implementing the next generation of VR technology in regular clinical practice.

Miloff, AlexanderStockholms universitet,Klinisk psykologi(Swepub:su)amilo (author)
Zetterlund, Elin (author)
Reuterskiöld, LenaStockholms universitet,Klinisk psykologi(Swepub:su)lsj (author)
Andersson, Gerhard (author)
Carlbring, PerStockholms universitet,Klinisk psykologi(Swepub:su)pecar (author)
Stockholms universitetKlinisk psykologi (creator_code:org_t)

By the author/editor: Lindner, Philip; Miloff, Alexande ...; Zetterlund, Elin; Reuterskiöld, Le ...; Andersson, Gerha ...; Carlbring, Per

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