Sabrina Mittermeier , Klara Gregorova , Christopher Goettfert , Christian Merz , Martin Weiß , Jana Krauss , Sarah Franke , Andrea Reiter , Carolin Wienrich , Arne Buerger
{"title":"厌恶紧张:一种新的虚拟现实范式来评估青少年和青年边缘型人格障碍患者的情绪唤醒","authors":"Sabrina Mittermeier , Klara Gregorova , Christopher Goettfert , Christian Merz , Martin Weiß , Jana Krauss , Sarah Franke , Andrea Reiter , Carolin Wienrich , Arne Buerger","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100583","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>High emotional arousal (EA) is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). While virtual reality (VR) has shown promise in treating emotion-based disorders, research on VR applications for BPD remains limited, especially in adolescence. This study aimed to validate a novel VR-based <em>aVeRsive tension</em> paradigm for assessing EA in adolescents and young adults with BPD symptoms.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In a multimodal study, we investigated the validity of aVeRsive tension: We surveyed 62 patients with BPD symptoms and 62 healthy controls (HC) aged 13–25 years who completed two VR sessions (stress/control condition). Each session included an adapted Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) followed by a cyberball paradigm. Subjective EA ratings and physiological measurements were taken during the sessions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The BPD group showed significantly higher EA levels compared to HC across both conditions. While both groups exhibited peak EA after TSST, HC demonstrated EA reduction during Cyberball in both conditions. The BPD group maintained elevated EA levels in the stress condition. Physiological data partially supported these findings, with the BPD group showing higher heart rates, particularly during Cyberball in the stress condition.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>The <em>aVeRsive tension</em> paradigm successfully discriminated between BPD and HC groups, capturing both subjective and physiological responses. The sustained EA in the BPD group during stress conditions aligns with characteristic emotion dysregulation patterns. While task-specific effects were observed, with TSST eliciting stronger responses than Cyberball, the paradigm effectively simulated real-life stressors in a controlled VR environment.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study validates the <em>aVeRsive tension</em> protocol as a promising tool for assessing EA in adolescents and young adults with BPD symptoms. The VR-based approach offers advantages in experimental control and ecological validity, showing potential for both diagnostic assessment and therapeutic intervention in clinical settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 2","pages":"Article 100583"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"aVeRsive tension: A new virtual reality paradigm to assess emotional arousal in adolescent and young adult patients with symptoms of borderline personality disorder\",\"authors\":\"Sabrina Mittermeier , Klara Gregorova , Christopher Goettfert , Christian Merz , Martin Weiß , Jana Krauss , Sarah Franke , Andrea Reiter , Carolin Wienrich , Arne Buerger\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100583\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>High emotional arousal (EA) is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). While virtual reality (VR) has shown promise in treating emotion-based disorders, research on VR applications for BPD remains limited, especially in adolescence. This study aimed to validate a novel VR-based <em>aVeRsive tension</em> paradigm for assessing EA in adolescents and young adults with BPD symptoms.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In a multimodal study, we investigated the validity of aVeRsive tension: We surveyed 62 patients with BPD symptoms and 62 healthy controls (HC) aged 13–25 years who completed two VR sessions (stress/control condition). Each session included an adapted Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) followed by a cyberball paradigm. Subjective EA ratings and physiological measurements were taken during the sessions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The BPD group showed significantly higher EA levels compared to HC across both conditions. While both groups exhibited peak EA after TSST, HC demonstrated EA reduction during Cyberball in both conditions. The BPD group maintained elevated EA levels in the stress condition. Physiological data partially supported these findings, with the BPD group showing higher heart rates, particularly during Cyberball in the stress condition.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>The <em>aVeRsive tension</em> paradigm successfully discriminated between BPD and HC groups, capturing both subjective and physiological responses. The sustained EA in the BPD group during stress conditions aligns with characteristic emotion dysregulation patterns. While task-specific effects were observed, with TSST eliciting stronger responses than Cyberball, the paradigm effectively simulated real-life stressors in a controlled VR environment.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study validates the <em>aVeRsive tension</em> protocol as a promising tool for assessing EA in adolescents and young adults with BPD symptoms. The VR-based approach offers advantages in experimental control and ecological validity, showing potential for both diagnostic assessment and therapeutic intervention in clinical settings.</div></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":47673,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology\",\"volume\":\"25 2\",\"pages\":\"Article 100583\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":5.3000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-04-01\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"102\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1697260025000419\",\"RegionNum\":1,\"RegionCategory\":\"心理学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1697260025000419","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
aVeRsive tension: A new virtual reality paradigm to assess emotional arousal in adolescent and young adult patients with symptoms of borderline personality disorder
Background
High emotional arousal (EA) is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). While virtual reality (VR) has shown promise in treating emotion-based disorders, research on VR applications for BPD remains limited, especially in adolescence. This study aimed to validate a novel VR-based aVeRsive tension paradigm for assessing EA in adolescents and young adults with BPD symptoms.
Methods
In a multimodal study, we investigated the validity of aVeRsive tension: We surveyed 62 patients with BPD symptoms and 62 healthy controls (HC) aged 13–25 years who completed two VR sessions (stress/control condition). Each session included an adapted Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) followed by a cyberball paradigm. Subjective EA ratings and physiological measurements were taken during the sessions.
Results
The BPD group showed significantly higher EA levels compared to HC across both conditions. While both groups exhibited peak EA after TSST, HC demonstrated EA reduction during Cyberball in both conditions. The BPD group maintained elevated EA levels in the stress condition. Physiological data partially supported these findings, with the BPD group showing higher heart rates, particularly during Cyberball in the stress condition.
Discussion
The aVeRsive tension paradigm successfully discriminated between BPD and HC groups, capturing both subjective and physiological responses. The sustained EA in the BPD group during stress conditions aligns with characteristic emotion dysregulation patterns. While task-specific effects were observed, with TSST eliciting stronger responses than Cyberball, the paradigm effectively simulated real-life stressors in a controlled VR environment.
Conclusion
This study validates the aVeRsive tension protocol as a promising tool for assessing EA in adolescents and young adults with BPD symptoms. The VR-based approach offers advantages in experimental control and ecological validity, showing potential for both diagnostic assessment and therapeutic intervention in clinical settings.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology is dedicated to publishing manuscripts with a strong emphasis on both basic and applied research, encompassing experimental, clinical, and theoretical contributions that advance the fields of Clinical and Health Psychology. With a focus on four core domains—clinical psychology and psychotherapy, psychopathology, health psychology, and clinical neurosciences—the IJCHP seeks to provide a comprehensive platform for scholarly discourse and innovation. The journal accepts Original Articles (empirical studies) and Review Articles. Manuscripts submitted to IJCHP should be original and not previously published or under consideration elsewhere. All signing authors must unanimously agree on the submitted version of the manuscript. By submitting their work, authors agree to transfer their copyrights to the Journal for the duration of the editorial process.