Virtual Reality as a Therapeutic Tool for Claustrophobia

Abstract

This study addresses the growing need for innovative therapeutic tools in the treatment of specific phobias, particularly claustrophobia, which significantly affects quality of life. Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy in anxiety-related disorders. The research question guiding this study was whether a virtual reality application (ClaustroVR) improves the treatment of claustrophobia symptoms. It was hypothesized that the application would significantly reduce average heart rate, anxiety subscale scores, and suffocation subscale scores. A quantitative, experimental design was employed with a non-probabilistic sample of 60 participants divided into experimental and control groups. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test. Results showed statistically significant reductions in all three indicators in the experimental group (p < 0.05). These findings support the implementation of immersive virtual exposure as an effective complementary therapeutic tool for treating claustrophobia.