Abstract
Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by the fear of enclosed spaces. Although medication treatment can effectively control symptoms, the effects quickly disappear once medication is discontinued. Many studies have shown that combining psychotherapy and medication is more efficacious than solely using medication. However, the weaknesses of the traditional psychotherapy are that it is time-consuming and expensive. Alternatively, vivo exposure therapy is proposed in which anxiety is gradually triggered with stimuli. Targeting claustrophobia is diagnosed using the traditional method, and this study established virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) environments consistent with claustrophobic characteristics, comparing the two using an experimental process to examine whether VR and AR environments are equally capable of triggering anxiety in participants. This study further analysed the efficacies of VR and AR by measuring changes in participant's heart rates variability (HRV) and examining data from survey questionnaires. HRV results indicated that the proposed VR system and AR system were both able to trigger anxiety. Furthermore, the AR environment produced a stronger experience for the participants and caused physiological reactions more evident than those caused by the VR environment. Regarding the anxiety questionnaire, the participants suggested that their anxiety was significantly higher in the VR environment than in the AR environment.
Highlights
Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by the fear of enclosed spaces [1]
To compare the effectiveness of the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) environments in triggering fear, we compared and analysed the normal heart rates variability (HRV) physiological data with those obtained from the VR and AR experiments. e results are shown in Tables 2 and 3. e VR and AR data were compared with the normal data, as shown in Tables 4 and 5
Is finding may be due to that the participants in the AR condition were physically present in an actual environment, causing them to experience a more natural presence and become more engaged. e effects of the VR condition were inconspicuous, possibly because the participants did not suffer from claustrophobia and showed lesspronounced reactions
Summary
Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by the fear of enclosed spaces [1]. Under certain circumstances, such as being in elevators, trains, or airplane cabins, sufferers can exhibit symptoms of panic or fear of panic [2]. Cognitive therapy is a commonly accepted treatment for anxiety disorders [6]. A study by Rachman and Taylor [4] showed that cognitive therapy is effective in nearly 30% of individuals with claustrophobia, effectively reducing their fear and negative thoughts regarding specific environments [7, 8]. In vivo exposure therapy, which forces patients into the environments they fear, allows individuals to experience their fear. Booth and Rachman [7] found that live exposure
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