# Efficacy of an attention guidance VR intervention for social anxiety disorder.

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2020 · $42,065

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Broad Impact: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a prevalent mental health concern that impacts approximately
12% of the population. One mechanism thought to maintain SAD is avoidance of faces (i.e. avoidance of
negative evaluative threat). However, research on attentional processes in SAD has been confined to paradigms
presented on computer monitors. To investigate attentional processes in a more naturalistic way we developed
an immersive, 360º-video virtual reality environment using real actors, as part of a pilot study. Participants with
a range of social anxiety symptoms (from none to severe) completed a 5-minute speech in this virtual reality
environment while their eye movements were recorded. Results from the study showed that greater symptoms
of social anxiety were associated with avoidance of looking at faces (i.e. fewer fixations on faces). While existing
treatments for SAD are moderately effective, a large number of individuals do not experience meaningful
reductions in their symptoms. The overarching goal of this project is to inform future treatment research for SAD.
We will test a brief attention guidance intervention for SAD that specifically targets avoidance of faces as a
potential mechanism maintaining the disorder. The proposed research will use the eye tracking hardware and
naturalistic virtual reality environment from the pilot study. We will also collect eye tracking data prior to the
intervention in order to investigate potential heterogeneity in the attentional processes of SAD. Aim 1 will test
the hypotheses that (a) the attention guidance intervention, compared to the standard exposure intervention, will
result in a greater reduction in symptoms of social anxiety, and (b) this effect will be mediated by the number of
fixations on faces during a brief public speaking challenge post-intervention. These results will provide much
needed evidence as to whether avoidance of faces operates as a causal maintaining factor in SAD. Aim 2 will
test the hypothesis that there are distinct sub-groups of SAD with unique patterns of eye movements over the
course of a pre-intervention speech collected as part of Aim 1. A Bayesian statistical approach will be
implemented that evaluates patterns of eye movements and estimates group membership based on those
patterns. This approach may support a more personalized approach to treating SAD. Taken together these
findings may inform future experimental therapeutics for SAD utilizing targeted attentional processes. Training:
This project will prepare the applicant to conduct early stage clinical trials utilizing brief targeted interventions
aimed at putative causal mechanisms implicated in the maintenance of anxiety-related pathology. The applicant
will also gain advanced technical, theoretical, and statistical knowledge critical for conducting eye movement
(i.e. visual attention) research. This proposal will aid the applicant in disseminating his work to the scientific
com...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9840401
- **Project number:** 5F31MH118784-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Mikael Rubin
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $42,065
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-12-20 → 2021-12-19

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9840401

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9840401, Efficacy of an attention guidance VR intervention for social anxiety disorder. (5F31MH118784-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9840401. Licensed CC0.

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