AN-VR-BE. A Randomized Controlled Trial for Reducing Fear of Gaining Weight and Other Eating Disorder Symptoms in Anorexia Nervosa through Virtual Reality-Based Body Exposure.
Por:
Porras-Garcia B, Ferrer-Garcia M, Serrano E, Marta Carulla Roig, Soto-Usera P, Miquel-Nabau H, Olivares LFC, Marnet-Fiol R, Santos-Carrasco IM, Borszewski B, Díaz-Marsá M, Sánchez-Díaz I, Fernández-Aranda F and Gutiérrez-Maldonado J
Publicada:
10 feb 2021
Ahead of Print:
10 feb 2021
Categoría:
Medicine (miscellaneous)
Resumen:
In vivo body exposure therapy is considered an effective and suitable intervention to help patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) reduce their body image disturbances (BIDs). However, these interventions have notable limitations and cannot effectively reproduce certain fears usually found in AN, such as the fear of gaining weight (FGW). The latest developments in virtual reality (VR) technology and embodiment-based procedures could overcome these limitations and allow AN patients to confront their FGW and BIDs. This study aimed to provide further evidence of the efficacy of an enhanced (by means of embodiment) VR-based body exposure therapy for the treatment of AN. Thirty-five AN patients (16 in the experimental group, 19 in the control group) participated in the study. FGW, BIDs, and other body-related and ED measures were assessed before and after the intervention and three months later. The experimental group received treatment as usual (TAU) and five additional sessions of VR-based body exposure therapy, while the control group received only TAU. After the intervention, ED symptoms were clearly reduced in both groups, with most of the changes being more noticeable in the experimental group. Specifically, after the intervention and at follow-up, significant group differences were found in the FGW and BIDs, with the experimental group showing significantly lower values than the control group. The current study provides new insights and encouraging findings in the field of exposure-based therapies in AN. VR technology might improve research and clinical practice in AN by providing new tools to help patients confront their core fears (i.e., food- or weight-related cues) and improve their emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to their body image.
Filiaciones:
Porras-Garcia B:
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
Ferrer-Garcia M:
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
Serrano E:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu of Barcelona, Passeig de Sant Joan de Déu, 2, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
Marta Carulla Roig:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu of Barcelona, Passeig de Sant Joan de Déu, 2, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
Soto-Usera P:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu of Barcelona, Passeig de Sant Joan de Déu, 2, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
Miquel-Nabau H:
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
Olivares LFC:
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
Marnet-Fiol R:
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
Santos-Carrasco IM:
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Calle del Prof Martín Lagos, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Borszewski B:
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Calle del Prof Martín Lagos, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Díaz-Marsá M:
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Calle del Prof Martín Lagos, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Sánchez-Díaz I:
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge-IDIBELL and CIBEROBN, Barcelona, Carrer Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
Fernández-Aranda F:
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge-IDIBELL and CIBEROBN, Barcelona, Carrer Feixa Llarga s/n, Hospitalet del Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
Gutiérrez-Maldonado J:
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
Open Access
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