Developing An Auxiliary Tool For Treatment Of Specific Phobias Via Virtual Reality Technology Applications: An Effectiveness Study

Objective: Purpose of the study is to develop an auxiliary tool that can be used by experts working in the clinical settings for psychological support processes to adults diagnosed with simple phobia. In that realm, one another related aim is also to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed tool via behavioral and physiological measurements. Method: Eleven participants diagnosed with specific phobia (7 females (X) over bar age=38.57, SD=8.89; 4 males (X) over bar age=41.75, SD=13.07) by mental health specialist were exposed to virtual reality scenarios in a systematic desensitization manner. There were 6 person with cynophobia, 2 with arachnophobia, 1 with acrophobia and 2 with claustrophobia. Each of four phobia scenario sessions consisted of diffferent number of stages to be completed. None of the participants were received any drug medication for phobia before and also during the study. In addition to physiological meaurements like galvanic skin response (GSR) and heart rate (HR), subjective units of distress scale (SUDS) measurements were also taken before and after exposure to each stage as dependent variables. To compare different phobia scenarios, minimum, maximum and peak-to-peak amplitude values of the first and last exposure to the most feared stimuli for physiological records and first and last exposure SUDS values again for the most feared stimuli were analyzed with Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Results: The most fear/anxiety procuding stimuli comparisons for the first (pre-test) and the last (post-test) exposures in SUDS, GSR and HR measurements indicated that there was significant decrements in post-test measurements with respect to the ones for pre-tests. Discussion: Analyses of behavioral and physiological measurements obtained from the participants showed that the learned-fear-responses have a tendency to extinct after being exposed to the relevant stimuli virtually. Thus, virtual reality applications can be effectively usable in the treatment of specific phobias.Wo

Predictors of posttraumatic stress in children and adolescents

We investigated the association between PTSD symptom levels and sociodemographic characteristics, earthquake survival, and related losses, and post-earthquake life events 4 years after two major earthquakes in Turkey in a sample of children and adolescents who emigrated from the devastated area. The study subjects consisted of 1999 earthquake survivors who moved to Ankara, Turkey, at the time of the study. The inclusion criteria included age ranging from 8 to 18 years and the absence of a serious cognitive or mental disorder that would interfere with response to self-report questionnaires. Regarding the earthquake experiences, unexpectedly, the findings indicate a significant association between posttraumatic stress, depression, fear and avoidance symptoms and only one of five subscales of Earthquake Experiences Scale, namely Functionality, even after controlling for the post-earthquake life events. Impact of earthquake was not found to predict psychological symptoms. Children and adolescents' subjective perception of the earthquake was an associated factor with higher posttraumatic stress and depression scores. Impact of earthquake was not found to predict psychological symptoms. We conclude that the level of PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents who survived a major earthquake is determined by the negative impact of the trauma on functionality and the degree of subjective negative perception about earthquake. Additional studies of PTSD in survivors of other types of major trauma are required to provide the interventions most effective for those individuals.PTSD Children and adolescents

The impact role of childhood traumas and life events in patients with alopecia aerate and psoriasis

© 2014, Ismail Volkan Şahiner et al.Background: Alopecia areata (AA) and psoriasis are common dermatological diseases which may be associated with psychosomatic origin. Close relationship with stressful life events has been shown both AA and psoriasis in previous studies. Dermatologic diseases which are thought to be psychosomatic origin are not examined about childhood traumas except AA. In the literature there is no study that investigates both stressful life events with childhood trauma in healthy indiviudals and dermatological diseases with psychosomatic origin such as AA and psoriasis. Objective: To determine whether stressful life events and childhood traumas play a role in AA is the first aim of this study. If it is, will this role specific for AA as a second aim? The patients with psoriasis and healthy individuals were also investigated too. Methods: Patients (range: 18-70 years of age) with a diagnosis of AA and psoriasis who admitted to Dermatology Outpatient Department of Baskent University Medical Faculty between August 2009 and July 2010 were recorded and analyzed for our study. Healthy individuals without past or present psychiatric symptoms proven by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) as control group were selected randomize. Forty patients with AA, 30 patients with psoriasis, and 50 healthy subjects as controls were stratified as three individual groups. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Life Events Checklist, The Beck Depression Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory and socio demographic data questionnaire were administered to the participants. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Results: The rate of childhood traumatic events, the stressful life events, anxiety and depression scores were significantly higher in both AA and psoriasis group than healthy controls. Significant difference was not found between AA and psoriasis patients. Conclusion: Childhood traumas and stressful life events may play a role in the pathogenesis of AA. In addition, this role may also apply to other psychosomatic diseases as psoriasis. This result may let us understand the role of past and present psychological stressors in the etiology of dermatologic psychosomatic diseases. Psycho dermatologic new approaches are needed to evaluate stressful life events and childhood traumas