Zusammenfassung
Background and objectives: The current study is the first to examine whether reactivation of fear memory prior to exposure therapy reduces relapse in a randomized clinical sample. Methods: In a standardized treatment protocol combining virtual reality and in-vivo exposure, patients underwent a fear reactivation procedure using a virtual spider 10 min prior to a virtual reality (VR) exposure ...
Zusammenfassung
Background and objectives: The current study is the first to examine whether reactivation of fear memory prior to exposure therapy reduces relapse in a randomized clinical sample. Methods: In a standardized treatment protocol combining virtual reality and in-vivo exposure, patients underwent a fear reactivation procedure using a virtual spider 10 min prior to a virtual reality (VR) exposure (reactivation group: RG, n = 15). A control group (CG, to = 17) was exposed to a virtual plant 10 min prior to the VR exposure. Outcome measures were a VR spontaneous recovery test (SRT) and in-vivo a behavioral avoidance test assessed 24 h after VR exposure. One week later an in-vivo exposure session followed. Additionally, a follow-up using psychometric assessment was conducted six months after the first session. Results: Both groups benefitted significantly and equally from the combined treatment, and importantly, the SRT revealed no return of fear in both groups. Furthermore, follow-up tests showed long-term treatment effects with no group differences. Limitations: Due to different study components (VR treatment and in-vivo), we were not able to determine which treatment module was mainly responsible for the long-term treatment effect. Furthermore, no direct measure of memory destabilization was possible-in this study. Conclusions: Our treatment package was highly effective in reducing phobic fear up to 6 months following treatment. Explicit fear reactivation prior to exposure was not beneficial in VR exposure treatment, possibly due to a failure to induce a memory destabilization or due to an implicit fear reactivation prior to treatment in both groups. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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