Lee, Tahlia (2019) Virtual Reality and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Service Personnel: A Systematic Review. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most predominant mental health concerns among persons serving in the military; with the extent of the disorder primarily dependant on prolonged combat exposure. A common treatment for alleviating PTSD symptomology is exposure therapy, which can now be conducted using virtual reality (VR). This tool has become increasingly popular due to advances in technology over recent years, allowing individuals to become immersed into a computer-generated environment. Virtual reality exposure (VRE) can be achieved through simulating a feared situation, thought or emotion, that service personnel have experienced during the course of their service. This concept allows service members (SMs) to confront challenges within a controlled environment whilst the therapist regulates the intensity of arousal, presenting little risk to the user. As a result, habituation occurs through repeated exposure to the fear induced stimulus, resulting in reduced symptoms of PTSD. The present article provides an inclusive 10-year review (2009 to 2019) on the effectiveness of VRE to treat combat-related PTSD among military populations. A total of 13 articles were examined, with copious studies supporting the efficacy of VRE as a viable therapy when studied alone. Although when this treatment modality is compared to other traditional treatments, results report no significant differences between the treatment conditions. Further research is required to determine the efficacy of VR therapy across other cultural populations, especially among female SMs whom are more susceptible to this condition.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Erich Fein; John Gilmour |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Sep 2025 01:32 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Sep 2025 01:32 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | combat; virtual reality exposure therapy; posttraumatic stress disorder; military; service members |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52496 |
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