Improving the Exposure Therapy Through Projection-based Augmented Reality for the Treatment of Cockroach Phobia: A Multiple-baseline Single Case Study

Specific phobia (SP) refers to an extreme and persistent fear of a specific object or situation that is out of proportion to the actual danger or threat. SP is the most prevalent anxiety disorder with substantial impairment and comorbidity. Animal fear is one of the most prevalent subtypes of SP. In vivo exposure is the treatment of choice for this problem, but this technique is associated to limitations in its implementation related to the access and acceptability (i.e., low acceptance on the part of patients and therapists, high dropout rates, limited access to the treatment and, difficulties in its application in the clinical context). Augmented Reality (AR) offers some advantages in delivering the exposure technique: 1) Exposure to multiple virtual stimuli; 2) Going beyond reality; 3) Allowing complete control over the situation; 4) It allows privacy and confidentiality. Particularly, the most significant aspect of AR is that the virtual elements add relevant and helpful information to the physical information available in the real world.

The study will follow the guidelines of a multiple-baseline single case design with alternating treatments. Participants (N = 4) who received a diagnosis of SP for cockroaches (DSM-5), will be randomly assigned to different baselines (ranging between 8 and 14 days) and all of them will receive the two experimental conditions: 1) AR exposure therapy with multiple stimuli and; 2) AR exposure therapy with a single stimulus. Five evaluation moments will be included: pre-intervention (baseline), post- intervention, and follow-up at the first month, 6 and 12 months.