Exposure with virtual reality use in acrophobia treatment

Acrophobia, fear of heights, is a specific phobia, which negatively affects business and social life. In order to treat this psychological problem, exposure therapy is considered as the most effective technique. Exposure therapy, which simply suggests that exposing the patient to the source of fear help them overcome the anxiety or fear. This cognitive behavior psychotherapy technique can be applied in three ways: In vitro, in vivo and virtual reality. The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of the virtual reality exposure therapy in acrophobia. The research sample consisted of 60 people with fear of heights. Subjects were assigned to three different groups respectively; in the first group, patients were exposed to height by using VR, in the second group, they were directly faced to heights in real life and the final group consists of people in the waiting list control groups. The anxiety and avoidance levels of the subjects were compared using Acrophobia Questionnaire (AQ) before, after and 6 months follow-up measurements. As a result of the analyzes, it was found that the anxiety and avoidance levels of the participants in the virtual reality exposure group decreased significantly after treatment compared to the pre-treatment level. In addition, the findings revealed that the anxiety levels of the virtual reality exposure group were lower than those in the control and in vivo group after treatment, and the avoidance levels were lower than those in in vivo exposure group and lower than those in the control group. In addition, the quality of life levels of people with acrophobia were compared immediately after the intervention and 6 months after the intervention using the Quality of Life Scale. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the pain levels of the participants in in vivo exposure group were significantly higher and their mental health levels were significantly lower right after the intervention compared to the participants in the control group. The results of the current study were compatable with the data reported in the literature. Current findings are discussed in the light of the relevant literature.