An Augmented Reality System for the Treatment of Acrophobia: The Sense of Presence Using Immersive Photography
This paper describes an augmented reality (AR) system for the treatment of acrophobia. First, the technical characteristics of the original prototype are described. Second, the capacity of the immersive photography used in the AR system to provoke sense of presence in users is tested. Forty-one participants without fear of heights walked around a staircase in both a real environment and an immersive photography environment. Immediately after their experience, participants were given the SUS questionnaire to assess their subjective sense of presence. The users' scores in the immersive photography were very high. Results indicate that the acrophobic context can be useful for the treatment of…
An Internet-based program for depression using activity and physiological sensors: efficacy, expectations, satisfaction, and ease of use
Cristina Botella,1,2 Adriana Mira,1 Inés Moragrega,2,3 Azucena García-Palacios,1,2 Juana Bretón-López,1,2 Diana Castilla,1,2 Antonio Riera López del Amo,1 Carla Soler,1 Guadalupe Molinari,1 Soledad Quero,1,2 Verónica Guillén-Botella,2,3 Ignacio Miralles,1,2 Sara Nebot,1 Berenice Serrano,1,2 Dennis Majoe,4 Mariano Alcañiz,2,5 Rosa María Baños2,31Department of Basic, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume, Castellón, Spain; 2CIBER Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, CIBERobn, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; 3Department o…
A VR-based serious game for studying emotional regulation in adolescents
[EN] We all use more or less adapted strategies to confront adverse emotional situations in our lives without being psychologically affected. Emotional Regulation (ER) strategies that we use determine the way in which we feel, express and behave. Moreover, ER strategies are particularly important in adolescents, a population in the age when the deficits of ER strategies can be linked to the appearance of numerous mental health disorders such as depression or anxiety, or disruptive behaviors. Thus, the early detection of dysfunctional ER strategies and the training in adaptive ER strategies will help us to prevent the future occurrence of possible behavioral and psychosocial disorders. In th…
A User-Friendly Tool for Detecting the Stress Level in a Person s Daily Life
[EN] Mental health care represents over a third of the cost of health care to all EU nations and, in USA, it is estimated to be around the 2.5% of the gross national product. Depression and Stress related disorders are the most common mental illnesses. The European project OPTIMI will develop tools to make predictions through the early identification on the onset of the disease. In this paper, we present a user-friendly application developed in the OPTIMI project to detect the stress level in a person's daily life. The results of a first usability study of this application are also presented.
Improving childhood obesity treatment using new technologies: the ETIOBE System
Childhood obesity is an increasing public health problem in western culture. Sedentary lifestyles and an “obesogenic environment” are the main influences on children leading to an increase in obesity. The objective of this paper is to describe an e-health platform for the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity called ETIOBE. This e-health platform is an e-therapy system for the treatment of obesity, aimed at improving treatment adherence and promoting the mechanisms of self-control in patients, to obtain weight loss maintenance and to prevent relapse by establishing healthy lifestyle habits. ETIOBE is composed of three different applications, the Clinician Support System (CSS), the H…
An adaptive display for the treatment of diverse trauma PTSD victims.
El trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT) puede desarrollarse después de la exposición a un evento aterrador. Las personas que sufren de trastorno de estrés postraumático presentan hiperactividad y evitación, y experimentan síntomas que provocan angustia y deterioro en áreas de vida significativas. Los programas de comportamiento cognitivo, incluida la terapia de exposición, son actualmente el tratamiento de elección para el TEPT. Aunque estos programas son eficaces, hay margen de mejora; La utilización de la terapia de exposición por los médicos es baja y las tasas de desgaste son altas. La aplicación de nuevas tecnologías, especialmente la realidad virtual (VR), podría ayudar a superar …
Presence and Emotions in Virtual Environments: The Influence of Stereoscopy
ABSTRACT This study investigates how stereoscopy (the illusion of depth and 3D imaging) affects the sense of presence and the intensity of the positive mood that users feel in virtual environments (VEs). A between-group design was used, and 40 volunteers were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions (stereoscopy vs. no stereoscopy) and to one of two emotional VEs (relaxation or joy). The participants' emotions were assessed before and after the VR experience. Presence was measured with two postexperiment questionnaires (ITC-SOPI and SUS). Results show that there were no differences between stereoscopic and monoscopic presentations in VEs (neither subjective sense of presence …
Telepsychology and Self-help: The Treatment of Fear of Public Speaking
Abstract This work presents a self-help, Internet-based telepsychology program for the treatment of public speaking fears. The system is comprised of 3 parts: The assessment protocol gives the patient information about his or her problem (i.e., amount of interference it creates in his or her life, severity, degree of fear and avoidance). The system also includes a structured treatment protocol, organized into separate blocks, reflecting the patient’s progress. This ensures that the patient does not skip any steps in the treatment (something quite common in traditional self-help manuals), which provides more control over the process. The treatment protocol is a cognitive-behavioral program t…
An E-Health System for Promoting Wellbeing in the Elderly
The disproportionate increase in the world’s aged population, especially in developed countries, is one of the biggest challenges for developing health and social development policies. Developed countries are starting to include e-health applications in their health policies; these are effective programs that can reach large numbers of people at a much lower economic cost. The “Butler System” is an e-health application designed specifically for older people and the health professionals who work with this population. The Butler System is a multi-user platform with various levels of action, which includes resources that enhance elderly users’ social integration, learning, socio-emotional netw…
A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Assessment of Small Animals Phobia Using Virtual Reality as a Stimulus
[EN] Background: To date, still images or videos of real animals have been used in functional magnetic resonance imaging protocols to evaluate the brain activations associated with small animals phobia. Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate the brain activations associated with small animals phobia through the use of virtual environments. This context will have the added benefit of allowing the subject to move and interact with the environment, giving the subject the illusion of being there. Methods: We have analyzed the brain activation in a group of phobic people while they navigated in a virtual environment that included the small animals that were the object of their pho…
Psychological countermeasures in manned space missions: “EARTH” system for the Mars-500 project
Spaceflights missions have revealed that exist critical psychological problems. The Mars-500 project was an isolation and confinement experiment for identifying problems and solutions related to spaceflights missions. Medical countermeasures, such as physical exercise for 'bone degradation' are well recognized, but it is also important to develop psychological countermeasures for a possible 'psychological degradation'.Clinical Psychology has techniques useful for treating psychological problems, recent advances in Positive Psychology open up new possibilities for promoting resilience, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have proven their utility for enhancing psychological …
Technology in mental health
Mental illness has been identified as one of the greatest challenges facing society in the coming decades. However, there are significant barriers to access for many people suffering from mental illness, including overburdened public health care systems, geographic distance from point of care, difficulties encountered by individuals in engaging with services, and the stigma associated with mental illness. Technology has the potential to significantly improve access, engagement, effectiveness and affordability of treatment, yet relatively little use has been made of technology to date. Significant opportunities exist for further research and development, but the domain throws up a variety of…
Using virtual reality and mood-induction procedures to test products with consumers of ceramic tiles
This work describes a Virtual Reality Environment (VRE), through which users are able to view and test ceramic tile products. Users' virtual interfacing with the products generated emotional experiences that allowed them to feel ''engaged'' with the products. Users could choose between different kinds of products and test them out in order to know how they would look in a real-world context. In the VRE several mood-induction Procedures for inducing relaxation were included. The VRE was tested with respect to its ability to induce relaxation and sense of presence in 26 participants. It was also analyzed the level of satisfaction. Measures included the Visual Analogue Scale, the Self-Assessme…