A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Virtual Reality-Graded Exposure Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Active Duty Service Members with Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

TLDR

Virtual reality–based therapy has emerged as a promising approach to treat PTSD, yet randomized trials among Iraq and Afghanistan Service Members have been scarce. This study reports a small randomized controlled trial comparing VR‑graded exposure therapy to treatment as usual for combat‑related PTSD in active‑duty military personnel. Treatment success was defined as a ≥30 % reduction in Clinician‑Administered PTSD Scale scores after 10 weeks of therapy. Seven of ten VR‑GET participants achieved ≥30 % symptom reduction versus one of nine TAU participants, yielding a statistically significant relative risk of 3.2 and mean CAPS improvements of 35 versus 9 points, indicating that VR‑GET is a safe and effective intervention despite the study’s small size and design limitations.

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR)-based therapy has emerged as a potentially useful means to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but randomized studies have been lacking for Service Members from Iraq or Afghanistan. This study documents a small, randomized, controlled trial of VR-graded exposure therapy (VR-GET) versus treatment as usual (TAU) for PTSD in Active Duty military personnel with combat-related PTSD. Success was gauged according to whether treatment resulted in a 30 percent or greater improvement in the PTSD symptom severity as assessed by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) after 10 weeks of treatment. Seven of 10 participants improved by 30 percent or greater while in VR-GET, whereas only 1 of the 9 returning participants in TAU showed similar improvement. This is a clinically and statistically significant result (χ2 = 6.74, p < 0.01, relative risk 3.2). Participants in VR-GET improved an average of 35 points on the CAPS, whereas those in TAU averaged a 9-point improvement (p < 0.05). The results are limited by small size, lack of blinding, a single therapist, and comparison to a relatively uncontrolled usual care condition, but did show VR-GET to be a safe and effective treatment for combat-related PTSD.