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. 2021 Dec 9;11(12):1341.
doi: 10.3390/jpm11121341.

Assessment of Attentional Processes in Patients with Anxiety-Depressive Disorders Using Virtual Reality

José A Camacho-Conde  1 , Leire Legarra  2 , Vanesa M Bolinches  3 , Patricia Cano  4 , Mónica Guasch  5 , María Llanos-Torres  6 , Vanessa Serret  3 , Miguel Mejías  2 , Gema Climent  2
Affiliations

Assessment of Attentional Processes in Patients with Anxiety-Depressive Disorders Using Virtual Reality

José A Camacho-Conde et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

To characterize the attention deficits in one-hundred-fifteen participants, comprising two types of clinical profiles (affective and anxiety disorder), through a test of continuous VR execution. Method: Three tests (i.e., Nesplora Aquarium, BDI, and STAI) were used to obtain a standardized measure of attention, as well as the existence and severity of depression and anxiety, respectively. Results: Significant differences (CI = 95%) were found between the control group and the group with depression, in variables related to the speed of visual processing (p = 0.008) in the absence of distractors (p = 0.041) and during the first dual execution task (p = 0.011). For scores related to sustained attention, patients with depression and those with anxiety did not differ from controls. Our results suggest attentional deficits in both clinical populations when performing a continuous performance test that involved the participation of the central executive system of working memory.

Keywords: adults; anxious-depressive disorder; attention; continuous performance test; virtual reality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this article.

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