Preliminary Research on the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy to Treat Driving Phobia

Abstract

This article presents a review of preliminary research of two studies of the efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) to treat driving phobia. Study 1 describes a case study of a patient who completed a 7-day baseline followed by three sessions of VRET. Her peak anxiety decreased within and across sessions. At the post-treatment assessment, her phobic-related symptoms had diminished and she no longer met diagnostic criteria for driving phobia. Clinical improvement was maintained at 1-, 3-, and 7-month follow-up. In study 2, a multiple baseline across-subjects design was used to treat five patients over eight weekly VRET sessions. Visual and statistical analyses showed clear improvement in driving anxiety and avoidance in three patients between pre- and post-treatment assessments, and they no longer met criteria for driving phobia. There was marginal improvement in one patient, and the remaining individual showed no treatment gains. There was negligible change in actual driving frequency for any of the patients. Some gains were lost at the follow-up, particularly for the two individuals with poorer treatment responses. The results from these preliminary studies suggest that VRET may be a promising intervention for treating driving phobia. Avenues for improving treatment outcome are discussed.