The Use of VR Exposure in the Treatment of Motor Vehicle PTSD: A Case-report

This paper reports on a case study about a subject who underwent a virtual reality (VR) exposure program designed to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology that developed after a violent motor vehicle accident. The VR world consisted of a 4-lane highway setup with traffic on both ways that was displayed to the patient through a 295 x 225 cm Translucid Screen. In the 4 sessions, the participant, a 42-year-old female, was driven down the highway by a therapist. The intensity of anxiety cues was raised throughout the sessions. The patient had to overcome events such as traffic intensity variation, tunnels, and crossings. From HADS questionnaire, very high anxiety and depression scores were reported. IES results also indicated a reduction in intrusion and avoidance scores, even though the subject remains within the severe PTSD cohort. Physiological measures such as ECG and GSR pointed out a reduction in psychophysiological activity.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/15548716
• Authors:
  • Saraiva, Tomaz
  • Gamito, Pedro
  • Oliveira, Jorge
  • Morais, Diogo
  • Pombal, Miguel
  • Gamito, Luiz
  • Anastacio, Marisa
• Publication Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 199-205
• Serial:
  • Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine
  • Volume: 199-205
  • Publisher: Interactive Media Institute
  • ISSN: 1554-8716

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Anxiety; Case studies; Crash victims; Human factors; Physiological aspects; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Psychological aspects; Traffic crashes; Virtual reality
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01110831
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 24 2008 10:38AM