Attentional Bias, Alcohol Craving, and Anxiety Implications of the Virtual Reality Cue-Exposure Therapy in Severe Alcohol Use Disorder: A Case Report

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Alexandra Ghiţă¹  Mariano Gacto-Sanchez²  Bruno Porras-García¹  Marta Ferrer-García¹  José Gutiérrez-Maldonado¹  Olga Hernández-Serrano³  Jolanda Fernández-Ruiz¹  Manuel Moreno⁴  Miquel Monras⁵  Lluisa Ortega⁵  Silvia Mondon⁵  Lidia Teixidor⁵  Antoni Gual⁵ 

[1] Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona;Department of Physical Therapy, University of Murcia;Department of Physical Therapy, EUSES - University of Girona;Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona;Addictive Behaviors Unit, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona

关键词: alcohol use disorder;    craving;    anxiety;    attentional bias;    virtual reality cue-exposure therapy;    eye-tracking;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.543586

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Aims : Attentional bias (AB), alcohol craving, and anxiety have important implications in the development and maintenance of alcohol use disorder (AUD). The current study aims to test the effectiveness of a Virtual Reality Cue-Exposure Therapy (VR-CET) to reduce levels of alcohol craving and anxiety and prompt changes in AB toward alcohol content.Method : A 49-year-old male participated in this study, diagnosed with severe AUD, who also used tobacco and illicit substances on an occasional basis and who made several failed attempts to cease substance misuse. The protocol consisted of six VR-CET booster sessions and two assessment sessions (pre- and post-VR-CET) over the course of 5 weeks. The VR-CET program consisted of booster therapy sessions based on virtual reality (VR) exposure to preferred alcohol-related cues and contexts. The initial and final assessment sessions were focused on exploring AB, alcohol craving, and anxiety using paper-and-pencil instruments and the eye-tracking (ET) and VR technologies at different time points.Results : Pre and post assessment sessions indicated falls on the scores of all instruments assessing alcohol craving, anxiety, and AB.Conclusions : This case report, part of a larger project, demonstrates the effectiveness of the VR-CET booster sessions in AUD. In the post-treatment measurements, a variety of instruments showed a change in the AB pattern and an improvement in craving and anxiety responses. As a result of the systematic desensitization, virtual exposure gradually reduced the responses to significant alcohol-related cues and contexts. The implications for AB, anxiety and craving are discussed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY