Research proposal presentation on how cognitive behavioral therapy with the inclusion of virtual reality exposure therapy may decrease the symptoms of social anxiety disorder.

1. Virtual Reality
Exposure Therapy
in CBT to
Decrease Social
Anxiety
MARIA RABADAD

2. Social Anxiety
 Marked fear or anxiety about one or
more social situations in which the
individual is exposed to possible
scrutiny by others
 Social interactions
 Having conversations,
 Being observed
 During eating or drinking
 Performing in front of
others/Speech Anxiety
 Giving a speech, presentation

3. Another
Example

5. Symptoms

6. Focus on Speech
Anxiety
 Similar definition to Social Anxiety
Disorder
 “Public speaking anxiety, often
referred to as speech anxiety or
stage fright, involves a central fear
of being scrutinized or evaluated by
others.”
 Symptoms that can significantly
impact ability to give a speech or
presentation:
 Intense feelings of anxiety, worry,
nervousness, trembling or shaking,
sweating, and/or dizziness

7. Treatment
 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
 Used for a variety of anxiety disorders such as: Panic
Disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, generalized
anxiety disorder, and others
 The goal of CBT for anxiety disorders is to identify and
correct negative thoughts and beliefs in order to reduce
involuntary behaviors (sweating, trembling, etc.);
 Change the way the client thinks, change the way
he/she feels

8. Treatment Cont’d…
 Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
 Immersion experience involving virtual reality
and real-time computer graphics, body tracking
devices, visual displays, and other sensory input
to accurately duplicate environmental stressors
 Common for fear of flying, fear of heights, PTSD
 There have been many virtual reality experiences
(not games) that are meant to reduce anxiety by
providing a meditation environment with
meditation/calming music  Ex: “House of
Meditation”

9. Combining Treatments
 CBT and VR exposure therapy work well on their own,
but…
Research Question:
Does combining these two proven-effective
therapies produce results that show better
improvements compared to CBT alone, the gold
standard treatment for anxiety disorders?

10. The Study
 Two Groups
 CBT
 VR Exposure Therapy + CBT
 Variables
 Independent (event, condition,
measured attribute researcher can
control):
 VR Exposure Therapy + CBT
 CBT
 Dependent (changes as a
consequence of the independent
variable):
 Speech Anxiety
 Participants
 50 participants from undergraduate students at Merrimack
College
 Randomly assigned to either group through computer
software, trying to maintain even number between
male/female in each group
 Exclusion criteria (avoiding extraneous variables)
 Previous or current therapy for anxiety
 Taking medication for anxiety
 Inclusion Criteria
 Self-identifying speech anxiety as their primary social fear
 Recruiting
 Student emails, flyers, classroom announcements
 “This is a research opportunity to be a participant of a study
that will analyze a characteristic of social anxiety disorder with
the use of a piece of technology as part of treatment”

11. The Study -Instrumentation/Measures
 Structured Clinical Interview (pre and post
interventions)
 Ensures and narrows participants to those who
actually have social anxiety, speech anxiety
specifically.
 The Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker (pre
and at 3mth follow-up)
 Self report, true-false format questionnaire;
 Used to measure public speaking confidence
before, during, and after a speech.
 Standardized Speech Assessment Tool (pre and post
interventions)
 Participants are given 3 minutes to prepare 5
speeches on controversial topics
 10 minutes to deliver a speech in front a small
audience (2-4 trained undergraduate or graduate
students, therapists are never audience members)
 Participants are then asked to rate themselves

12. The Study - Method
Prospective participants
will meet with clinical
psychologists for
structured clinical
interview to confirm
speech anxiety
1
Participants will be
randomly assigned to
either VRET + CBT or
CBT alone
2
Participants will fill Self-
Reported Q - Personal
Report of Confidence as
a Speaker
3
Participants will create a
10 minute speech to be
presented in front of
small audience.
4
VRET + CBT and CBT
groups will commence
interventions for one
school semester.
5
After interventions,
participants will fill out
self reported Q. and will
deliver 10 minute
speech again
6

13. The Study - Results
 Descriptive Statistics
 Mean/Average
 On average, did the VRET + CBT better improvement compared to CBT alone?
 Visual  graph
Variables VR Exposure Therapy + CBT CBT Alone
Measures Pre Post 3mth Pre Post 3mth
PRCS
Standardized Speech
Assessment Tool
Structured Clinical
Interview