Validation of the Italian Version of the Telepresence in Videoconference Scale (TVS) in a Sample of Psychologists and Psychotherapists During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: Telepresence may play a fundamental role in establishing authentic interactions and relationships in online psychological interventions and can be measured by the Telepresence in Videoconference Scale (TVS), which was validated only with patients to date. This post hoc study aimed to validate the Italian version of the TVS with mental health professionals.

Method: The Italian TVS was included in an online survey, whose primary aim was to assess the experiences of Italian psychologists and psychotherapists with online interventions during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and was filled in by 296 participants (83.

Engaging in Awkward Social Interactions in a Virtual Environment Designed for Exposure-Based Psychotherapy for People with Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder: An International Multisite Study.

The effectiveness of in virtuo exposure-based treatment of performance-only social anxiety disorder (SAD) has been demonstrated in several studies. However, few studies have validated virtual environments with participants suffering from generalized SAD. The goal of this study is to confirm the potential of a virtual environment in inducing anxiety in adults suffering from generalized SAD, compared to adults without SAD, when engaged in awkward social interactions.

The moderating and mediating role of telepresence and cognitive change in cognitive behaviour therapy delivered via videoconference.

In this study, we combined the results of two controlled trials and examined the relationships between working alliance, telepresence, cognitive change and treatment outcome. Sixty-five participants with a primary diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) received cognitive behaviour therapy delivered via videoconference. Participants completed measures of working alliance and telepresence after three psychotherapy sessions.

Arguing in Favor of Revising the Factor Structure When Assessing Side Effects Induced by Immersions in Virtual Reality.

Two issues are increasingly of interest in the scientific literature regarding unwanted virtual reality (VR) induced side effects: (1) whether the latent structure of the () is comprised of two or three factors, and (2) if the measures symptoms of anxiety that can be misattributed to unwanted negative side effects induced by immersions in VR. Study 1 was conducted with a sample of 876 participants. A confirmatory factor analysis clearly supported a two-factor model composed of nausea and oculomotor symptoms instead of the 3-factor structure observed in simulators.

Exposure to a Standardized Catastrophic Scenario in Virtual Reality or a Personalized Scenario in Imagination for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

The cognitive behavioral treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) often involves exposing patients to a catastrophic scenario depicting their most feared worry. The aim of this study was to examine whether a standardized scenario recreated in virtual reality (VR) would elicit anxiety and negative affect and how it compared to the traditional method of imagining a personalized catastrophic scenario. A sample of 28 participants were first exposed to a neutral non-catastrophic scenario and then to a personalized scenario in imagination or a standardized virtual scenario presented in a counterbalanced order.