title: Effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy for active duty soldiers in a military mental health clinic.
abstract: Exposure therapy is an evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but research evaluating its effectiveness with active duty service members is limited. This report examines the effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) for active duty soldiers (N = 24) seeking treatment following a deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. Relative to their pretreatment self-reported symptoms on the PTSD Checklist, Military Version (M = 60.92; SD = 11.03), patients reported a significant reduction at posttreatment (M = 47.08; SD = 12.70; p < .001). Sixty-two percent of patients (n = 15) reported a reliable change of 11 points or more. This study supports the effectiveness of exposure therapy for active duty soldiers and extends previous research on VRE to this population.
authors.affiliation: Madigan Army Medical Center, Building 9933A, National Center for Telehealth and Technology, Fort Lewis, WA 98433, USA. greg.reger@us.army.mil
authors.forename: Greg M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Reger
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Holloway
authors.forename: Colette
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Candy
authors.forename: Barbara O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Rothbaum
authors.forename: JoAnn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Difede
authors.forename: Albert A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Gregory A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Gahm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007171:Implosive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014584:User-Computer Interface