Advances in Social Behavior Research
ASBR ICEIPI 2022, 03 March 2023
Open
Access | Article
Study Evaluating the Availability of Virtual Reality Applications for the Treatment of Eating Disorders
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses characterized by abnormal eating behaviors and attitudes. The prevalence of eating disorders among high-income young women in Asia has increased dramatically since the late 20th century. Results of treatments such as medication, clinical therapy, psychotherapy, etc. are often unsatisfactory. Virtual reality has been used in eating disorders, both by changing the size of the body image and by creating a virtual environment. The purpose of this study was to design a Virtual reality application for the treatment of eating disorders and to explore its usability and feasibility. A virtual reality-based application was designed to help treat eating disorders. This application can solve the comparison and low self-esteem problems that arise in other treatments by choosing individual therapy or group therapy after selecting a virtual avatar. Participants are then recruited to experience through questionnaires, thus obtaining user feedback. A total of 9 female participants were recruited, including 2 AN and 3 BN, and 4 BED personnel. Seven participants preferred individual therapy and 2 participants preferred group therapy. According to the data analysis, BN and BED patients were more likely to have group therapy and twice-weekly therapy frequency. Patients with AN tend to prefer individual therapy and more frequently weekly therapy. Participants felt that VR therapy was more private and felt more secure. According to participant feedback, apps need to pay more attention to protecting patient privacy and how treatment data is collected. Participants found the application available. Future research should aim to assess similarities and differences in the availability of group therapy as well as individual therapy. To investigate which specific eating disorder behaviors are effective in group therapy as well as individual therapy.
Keywords
eating behaviors and attitudes., individual therapy, Eating disorders
References
1. Berkman, N. D., Bulik, C. M., Brownley, K. A., Lohr, K. N., Sedway, J. A., Rooks, A., & Gartlehner, G. (2006). Management of eating disorders. Evidence report/technology assessment, (135), 1-166.
2. Kim, Y. R., Nakai, Y., & Thomas, J. J. (2021). Introduction to a special issue on eating disorders in Asia. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54(1), 3-6.
3. Pike, K. M., & Dunne, P. E. (2015). The rise of eating disorders in Asia: a review. J Eat Disord 3: 33.
4. Polivy, J., & Herman, C. P. (2002). Causes of eating disorders. Annual review of psychology, 53(1), 187-213.
5. Santarossa, S., & Woodruff, S. J. (2017). # SocialMedia: Exploring the relationship of social networking sites on body image, self-esteem, and eating disorders. Social Media+ Society, 3(2), 2056305117704407.
6. Hoek, H. W., & Van Hoeken, D. (2003). Review of the prevalence and incidence of eating disorders. International Journal of eating disorders, 34(4), 383-396.
7. Agras, W. S. (2001). The consequences and costs of the eating disorders. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 24(2), 371-379.
8. Metcalfe, T. (2018, March 15). What is Vr? the devices and apps that turn the Real World Virtual. NBCNews.com. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/what-vr-devices-apps-turn-real-world-virtual-ncna857001#:~:text=In%20its%20simplest%20forms%2C%20virtual,displays%20integrated%20into%20the%20walls.
9. Corporativa, I. (n.d.). Virtual reality: Another world within sight. Iberdrola. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.iberdrola.com/innovation/virtual-reality
10. Brown, T., Nauman Vogel, E., Adler, S., Bohon, C., Bullock, K., Nameth, K., Riva, G., Safer, D. L., & Runfola, C. D. (2020, April 23). Bringing virtual reality from clinical trials to clinical practice for the treatment of eating disorders: An example using virtual reality cue exposure therapy. Journal of medical Internet research. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7206518/
11. De Carvalho, M. R., Dias, T. R. de S., Duchesne, M., Nardi, A. E., & Appolinario, J. C. (2017, July 9). Virtual reality as a promising strategy in the assessment and treatment of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder: A systematic review. MDPI. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/7/3/43/htm
12. Coles, J. (2021, September 13). What causes motion sickness in VR, and how can you avoid it? Space.com. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.space.com/motion-sickness-in-vr
13. Baniasadi, T., Ayyoubzadeh, S. M., & Mohammadzadeh, N. (2020, May 18). Challenges and practical considerations in applying virtual reality in medical education and treatment. Oman medical journal. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7232669/
14. PH; S. (n.d.). Is chronic low self-esteem the cause of eating disorders? Medical hypotheses. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1494317/
15. Lauren Muhlheim, P. D. (2021, April 29). Eating disorders and social anxiety often occur together. Verywell Mind. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/eating-disorders-and-social-anxiety-4165463
16. Stefanic, D. (n.d.). The top 5 evidence-based benefits of using avatars for your next virtual event. Immersive Learning News. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.immersivelearning.news/2020/12/08/the-top-5-evidence-based-benefits-of-using-avatars-for-your-next-virtual-event/.
Data Availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Authors who publish this journal agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open Access Instruction).