Public Perceptions on Using Virtual Reality and Mobile Apps in Anxiety Treatment: A cross sectional analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31273/reinvention.v13i2.625Keywords:
Virtual Reality, Mobile Apps, Anxiety, Mental Health, Mental Health treatment, Public PerceptionsAbstract
New technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and mobile apps are increasingly being developed and trialled therapeutically to help treat anxiety disorders. Despite this increasing market, there is little research on how the public perceive the incorporation of these innovative technologies in anxiety treatment. This study aimed to describe knowledge, awareness and perceptions of VR and mobile apps for the treatment of anxiety. To do this, a survey was disseminated to those aged 18 to 35 with no current or previous mental illness via social media and poster advertisements, and 57 individuals participated. Results demonstrated that most individuals had limited knowledge on the use of VR and mobile apps in mental health, but overall demonstrated positive perceptions and high optimism regarding its potential use. Neither treatment modality was perceived as being as effective as standard treatment; however, participants were willing to use either modality if recommended by a therapist and use both in conjunction with standard treatment. Participants demonstrated a willingness to use a mobile app as a first point of contact. These findings have implications for the way in which these technologies are rolled out to the public.
References
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Rebecca Kirkham, Ms, Caitlin Batten, Ms
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright holders for reproducing through any medium of communication those illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. Authors are also responsible for adding these permissions to the acknowledgement footnote that precedes all other notes or crediting the source and copyright of photographs or figures in the accompanying captions.
The journal's policy is to ask authors to grant us the licence to publish their work, which gives us the exclusive right both to reproduce and/or distribute their article (including the abstract) in printed, electronic or any other medium, and in turn to authorise others (including Reproduction Rights Organisations such as the Copyright Licensing Agency and the Copyright Clearance Center) to do the same. In return the author(s) assert their Moral Right to be identified as the author, and we promise that we will respect their rights as the author(s). That is, we will make sure that their name(s) is/are always clearly associated with the article and, while they do allow us to make necessary editorial changes, we will not make any substantial alteration to their article without consulting them.
Copyright remains with the author(s), however, the author(s) authorise us to act on their behalf to defend their copyright if anyone should infringe it, and to retain half of any damages awarded, after deducting our costs. The author(s) also retain the right to use their own article (provided they acknowledge the published original in standard bibliographic citation form) in the following ways, as long as they do not sell it or give it away in ways which would conflict directly with our interests. The author(s) is/are free to use their article for the internal educational or other purposes of their own institution or company; mounted on their own or their institution’s website; posted to free public servers of preprints and/or articles in their subject area; or in whole or in part, as the basis for their own further publications or spoken presentations.
If you have any queries about copyright please contact reinventionjournal@warwick.ac.uk
