Background Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) is a common anxiety with onset in adolescence and early adulthood. With the advent of consumer virtual reality (VR) technology, VR-delivered exposure therapy is now a scalable and practical treatment option and has previously been shown to be efficacious with adults. In this non-randomized feasibility and pilot trial, we explore the effect of one-session (90 min) VR-delivered exposure therapy for adolescents (aged 13-16) with PSA. Methods A total of 27 adolescents were recruited from Norwegian high schools and completed self-report measures of PSA twice prior to treatment, 1 week after treatment, and at 1 and 3 month follow-up. Heart rate was recorded during the treatment session. A low-cost head-mounted VR display with a custom-built VR stimuli material depicting a cultural and age appropriate classroom and audience were used when a series of speech (exposure exercises) were performed. Results Linear mixed effects model revealed a significant decrease in PSA symptoms (Cohen's d = 1.53) pre-post treatment, and improvements were maintained at follow-ups. Physiological data revealed a small increase in heart rate during exposure tasks. Based on feedback from the adolescents, the feasibility of the intervention was increased during the trial. Conclusions The results show that low-cost, consumer VR hardware can be used to deliver efficacious treatment for PSA in adolescents, in a feasible one-session format.

中文翻译：

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害怕公开演讲的青少年的虚拟现实暴露疗法：非随机可行性和试点研究。

背景公开演讲焦虑（PSA）是一种常见的焦虑，发病于青春期和成年早期。随着消费者虚拟现实 (VR) 技术的出现，VR 提供的暴露疗法现在是一种可扩展且实用的治疗选择，并且之前已被证明对成人有效。在这项非随机可行性和试点试验中，我们探讨了单次（90 分钟）VR 提供的暴露疗法对患有 PSA 的青少年（13-16 岁）的影响。方法 从挪威高中招募 27 名青少年，在治疗前两次、治疗后 1 周以及随访 1 个月和 3 个月时完成 PSA 的自我报告测量。在治疗期间记​​录心率。在进行一系列演讲（暴露练习）时，使用了一种低成本的头戴式 VR 显示器，该显示器带有定制的 VR 刺激材料，描绘了适合文化和年龄的教室和观众。结果 线性混合效应模型显示 PSA 症状 (Cohen's d = 1.53) 治疗前显着减少，并且在随访中保持改善。生理数据显示在暴露任务期间心率略有增加。根据青少年的反馈，在试验期间增加了干预的可行性。结论 结果表明，低成本的消费级 VR 硬件可用于以可行的单次治疗形式为青少年 PSA 提供有效的治疗。结果 线性混合效应模型显示 PSA 症状 (Cohen's d = 1.53) 治疗前显着减少，并且在随访中保持改善。生理数据显示在暴露任务期间心率略有增加。根据青少年的反馈，在试验期间增加了干预的可行性。结论 结果表明，低成本的消费级 VR 硬件可用于以可行的单次治疗形式为青少年 PSA 提供有效的治疗。结果 线性混合效应模型显示 PSA 症状 (Cohen's d = 1.53) 治疗前显着减少，并且在随访中保持改善。生理数据显示在暴露任务期间心率略有增加。根据青少年的反馈，在试验期间增加了干预的可行性。结论 结果表明，低成本的消费级 VR 硬件可用于以可行的单次治疗形式为青少年 PSA 提供有效的治疗。在试验期间增加了干预的可行性。结论 结果表明，低成本的消费级 VR 硬件可用于以可行的单次治疗形式为青少年 PSA 提供有效的治疗。在试验期间增加了干预的可行性。结论 结果表明，低成本的消费级 VR 硬件可用于以可行的单次治疗形式为青少年 PSA 提供有效的治疗。