Date of Award
Fall 11-23-2012
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Page Anderson
Second Advisor
Kelly Lewis
Third Advisor
Erin Tone
Abstract
Few studies have looked at the experience of exposure therapy (ET) amongst underrepresented populations. African-American (AA) women may be at higher risk for anxiety and experience treatment differently than their Caucasian counterparts. Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) is suited to examine differences in treatment experiences because a measure of “presence” exists to quantify the experience of standardized VRE. Qualitative methods provide an opportunity to explore the experience of underrepresented populations and individual differences. The current study employed a mixed-method design to compare self-reported levels of presence during VRE across a sample of 24 AA and Caucasian women diagnosed with social phobia. The study also examined how AA women discussed their experiences of VRE (N=4). Results revealed that AA women reported greater presence than their Caucasian counterparts. Qualitative results highlighted benefits and areas of improvement in the experience of exposure therapy. These findings have important implications for differential experiences of treatment.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/4074428
Recommended Citation
Mehta, Natasha, "The Experience of Exposure Across Racial Groups: Differences in Presence During Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Social Phobia Across African-American and Caucasian Women." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2012.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/4074428