Citation

Vianez A, Marqués A, Simões de Almeida R. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022; 19(1): e464.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph19010464

PMID

35010723

Abstract

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is an emerging treatment for people diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to the limited accessibility of psychotherapies. This research aims to determine the guidelines for developing a Virtual Reality-War Scenario program for Armed Forces veterans with PTSD and encompasses two studies: Study 1, a systematic electronic database review; Study 2, a focus group of twenty-two Portuguese Armed Forces veterans.

RESULTS showed a positive impact of VRET on PTSD; however, there were no group differences in most of the studies. Further, according to veterans, new VRET programs should be combined with the traditional therapy and must consider as requirements the sense of presence, dynamic scenarios, realistic feeling, and multisensorial experience. Regardless, these findings suggest VRET as a co-creation process, which requires more controlled, personalized, and in-depth research on its clinical applicability.

Language: en

Keywords

post-traumatic stress disorder; virtual reality; exposure therapy; military veterans