Study Evaluating the Availability of Virtual Reality Applications for the Treatment of Eating Disorders

Research Article
Open access

Study Evaluating the Availability of Virtual Reality Applications for the Treatment of Eating Disorders

Jie Wang 1* , Ziyue Yang 2
  • 1 Department of design, Leeds University, Leeds, LS29JT, UK    
  • 2 The Bishop Strachan School, Toronto, M4V1X2, Canada    
  • *corresponding author jessie990122@163.com
Published on 1 March 2023 | https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/3/2022639
LNEP Vol.3
ISSN (Print): 2753-7056
ISSN (Online): 2753-7048
ISBN (Print): 978-1-915371-09-6
ISBN (Online): 978-1-915371-10-2

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

Wang,J.;Yang,Z. (2023). Study Evaluating the Availability of Virtual Reality Applications for the Treatment of Eating Disorders. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,3,645-651.
Export citation

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/.

Cite this article

Wang,J.;Yang,Z. (2023). Study Evaluating the Availability of Virtual Reality Applications for the Treatment of Eating Disorders. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,3,645-651.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer/Publisher's Note

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Educational Innovation and Philosophical Inquiries (ICEIPI 2022), Part II

ISBN：978-1-915371-09-6(Print) / 978-1-915371-10-2(Online)
Editor：Abdullah Laghari, Nasir Mahmood
Conference website: https://www.iceipi.org/
Conference date: 4 August 2022
Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
Volume number: Vol.3
ISSN：2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series 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 series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series'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 series.
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 policy for details).

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/.

For authors
Guide for authors Policies for authors Aims and scope Subscription Open access policy
For editors
Policies for editors Editorial board
For reviewers
Policies for reviewers Privacy policy

Cookies are used by this site.
Copyright © 2024 EWA Publishing, its licensors, and contributors. All rights reserved, including text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.