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Browsing by Subject "sosiaalisten tilanteiden pelko"

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  • Taskinen, Anette (2019)
    The treatment of social anxiety disorder with internet delivered cognitive-behavior therapy has been studied for the past two decades, but still reviews of studies on the subject could not been found in the databases used in this study. The goal of this review was to examine the efficacy of iCBT in treating social anxiety disorder and to review the treatment protocols used in the efficacy studies. A systematic literature search was conducted in the databases available through EBSCOhost (ia. CINAHL, MEDLINE, eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) & eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost)) with the search term ”((((internet OR web) AND (cognitive behav* therapy)) OR iCBT) AND (social phobia OR social anxiety disorder)))”. Studies which examined the efficacy of iCBT in treating social anxiety disorder with an RCT trial comparing it to waiting list or treatment as usual conditions were included in the review. The search revealed 11 studies filling these requirements, in which three separately developed treatment protocols were studied. Guided iCBT significantly reduces the symptoms of social anxiety disorder and it was significantly more efficacious in reducing symptoms than waiting list, also clinically significant improvement was considerably more common in people receiving the treatment. Only a few studies comparing iCBT to live therapies were found, and even though they had promising results, conclusions could not be made based on two studies. The treatment protocols were similar to each other and there were no substantial differences noted in the efficacies of the different treatments. Treatment satisfaction was high which supports the role of iCBT as an acceptable treatment option. There was variation between the studies in the time therapists used per patient, but even the longest average time therapists used indicated that the therapists used their time more efficiently compared to live treatments. There was a lot of variation between the studies in adherence and completion rates, and the maintenance of adherence should be attended to also in future treatment protocols.
  • Kasteenpohja, Kaisla (2019)
    The aim of this review is to examine current literature on virtual reality exposure in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. It is essential to combine previous research because using virtual reality has been found to be effective in treating other anxiety disorders. In addition, only few people with symptoms of social anxiety disorder seek treatment. Virtual reality exposure could be a cost-effective way to provide treatment for also those who haven’t sought help before. Successful exposure requires sensory inputs which help in guiding attention to a virtual environment. Typically, virtual exposure requires at least a head-mounted display and sound to support visual cues. Additionally, the virtual environment should react to the user’s actions. These methods help in achieving presence, which is also connected to the emotional response caused by the exposure. Presence can be divided into spatial and social presence or spatial presence, involvement and realness. Virtual human beings are constantly evolving, but they are not yet able to produce speech by themselves. This makes virtual exposure to social anxiety disorder technically more difficult compared to other anxiety disorders. On the other hand, delivering virtual exposure might be more efficient and pleasant than in vivo-exposure for both clients and professionals. Current research on effectiveness is promising. It seems that virtual exposure works as well as in vivo-exposure. Virtual exposure causes stronger emotional responses and feelings of presence for those who meet the diagnostical criteria of social anxiety disorder. Virtual exposure attrition rates are not larger than in other types of exposure, and the exposure does not seem to have more adverse effects. However, more neutral research is still needed. Also, the rules for virtual reality research should be unified.