The Efficacy of XRET Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in Treating Ailurophobia:A Clinical Study with One-Month Follow-Up
Keywords:
Ailurophobia, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET, Specific Phobia, VR-based TherapyAbstract
This study examined the effectiveness of XRET, a virtual reality exposure therapy device, in treating individuals suffering from ailurophobia (Fear of Cat). Thirty female participants aged 21 to 66, all diagnosed with specific phobia of cats, were recruited from Setareh Iranian Clinic, Tehran, Iran. Over ten sessions, participants experienced gradual and controlled virtual exposure to cats, ranging from distant observation to physical interaction. Measures included the Severity Measure for Specific Phobia, physiological heart rate during exposure, and follow-up assessments one-month post-treatment. The results indicated a statistically significant reduction in phobia severity and heart rate levels after the intervention. Furthermore, follow-up data revealed that therapeutic gains were largely maintained after one month, supporting the long-term effectiveness of the XRET protocol in treating animal phobias.
Downloads
References
1] Powers, M. B., & Emmelkamp, P. M. G. (2008). Virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety disorders:
A meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 22(3), 561–569.
[2] Parsons, T. D., & Rizzo, A. A. (2008). Affective outcomes of virtual reality exposure therapy for
anxiety and specific phobias: A meta-analysis. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry,
39(3), 250–261.
[3] Botella, C., Perpiñá, C., Baños, R. M., & García-Palacios, A. (1998). Virtual reality: A new clinical
setting lab. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36(5), 559–564.
[4] Rentz TO, Powers MB, Smits JA, Cougle JR, Telch MJ. (2003). Active-imaginal exposure:
Examination of a new behavioral treatment for cynophobia (dog phobia). Behav Res Ther, 41(11), 1337-1353.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0005-7967(03)00041-x
[5] Benavides, C. (2015). Virtual reality in the treatment of cynophobia. 10th Computing Colombian
Conference (10CCC), 499-503. https://doi.org/10.1109/ColumbianCC.2015.7333457
[6] di Nardo, P. A., Guzy, L. T., Jenkins, J. A., Bak, R. M., Tomasi, S. F., & Copland, M. (1988). Etiology
and maintenance of dog fears. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 26(3), 241–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-
7967(88)90005-8
[7] Suied, C., Drettakis, G., Warusfel, O., & Viaud-Delmon, I. (2013). Auditory-visual virtual reality as
a diagnostic and therapeutic tool for cynophobia. Journal of Cybertherapy and Rehabilitation, 16(2), 145-152.
[8] Williams, T. I., Lewis, S., Marcham, L., & Palicka, A. (2018). Treatment of dog phobia in young
people with autism and severe intellectual disabilities: An extended case series. Contemp Behav Health Care,
3. https://doi.org/10.15761/CBHC.1000125
[9] Botella, C., Pérez-Ara, M. Á., Bretón-López, J., Quero, S., García-Palacios, A., Baños, R. M. (2016).
In Vivo versus Augmented Reality Exposure in the Treatment of Small Animal Phobia: A Randomized
Controlled Trial. PLoS ONE, 11(2), e0148237. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0148237
[10] Taffou, M., & Viaud-Delmon, I. (2014). Cynophobic fear adaptively extends peri-personal space.
Front Psychiatry, 5, 122. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00122
[11] Oxley, J. A., Santa, K., Meyer, G., & Westgarth, C. (2022). A systematic scoping review of humandog interactions in virtual and augmented reality: The use of virtual dog models and immersive equipment.
Front. Virtual Real, 3, 78-2023. https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2022.782023
[12] Hemyari, C., Zomorodian, K., Shojaee, M., Sahraian, A., Dolatshahi, B. (2021). The effect of
personality traits on cognitive behavioral therapy outcomes in student pharmacists with rat phobia: A
randomized clinical trial. Iran J Med Sci, 46(1), 23-31. https://doi.org/10.30476/ijms.2019.82341.1045
[13] Oxley, J. A., Meyer, G., Cant, I., Bellantuono, G. M., Butcher, M., Levers, A., & Westgarth, C. (2022).
A pilot study investigating human behaviour towards DAVE (Dog Assisted Virtual Environment) and
interpretation of non-reactive and aggressive behaviours during a virtual reality exploration task. PLoS One,
17(9), e0274329. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274329
[14] Marine Taffou. (2014). Inducing feelings of fear with virtual reality. [Thesis].
[15] Szymczyk, T. (2019). The study of human behavior in a laboratory set-up with the use of innovative
technology. MATEC Web Conf., 252, III International Conference of Computational Methods in Engineering
Science.
[16] Swanepoel, A. (n.d.). A pilot study demonstrating that a dog trainer in a non-clinical setting can
effectively treat children with a fear of dogs (cynophobia).
[17] Doogan, S., & Thomas, G. (1992). Origins of fear of dogs in adults and children: The role of
conditioning processes and prior familiarity with dogs. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 30, 387-394.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(92)90050-Q
[18] Antony, M. M., & McCabe, R. E. (2000). Overcoming animal and insect phobia. New Harbinger
Publications.
[19] Lipp, A., Zhang, X. C., Dere, E., & Zlomuzica, A. (2023). The role of self-efficacy in specific fears.
PLoS ONE, 18(3), e0283660. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283660
[20] Taffou, M., Chapoulie, E., David, A., Guerchouche, R., Drettakis, G., & Viaud-Delmon, I. (2012).
Auditory-Visual Integration of Emotional Signals in a Virtual Environment for Cynophobia. Stud Health
Technol Inform, 181, 238-242.
[21] American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th
ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
[22] Emmelkamp, P. M., Krijn, M., Hulsbosch, A. M., de Vries, S., Schuemie, M. J., & van der Mast, C.
A. (2002). Virtual reality treatment versus exposure in vivo: A comparative evaluation in acrophobia.
Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40(5), 509–516.
