Assessment of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Treatment of PTSD among LGBTQ Individuals in Selected Support Groups in Kenya

The present study highlights the efficacy of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in Treating PTSD among LGBTQ Individuals in Selected Support Groups in Kenya. There is prospective evidence that virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), a digitally aided psychotherapy, can effectively lessen the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the meantime, empirical research has shown that PTSD prevalence estimates for LGBTQ+ people reach up to 48%, significantly higher than those for the general population, suggesting that they are more likely to experience the disorder. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design as an empirical interventional study to estimate and establish a cause-and-effect relationship between an independent and dependent variable without random assignment. This study is intervention research using a quasi-experimental research design to collect data from 60 LGBTQ+ individuals in selected support groups in Kenya. The samples of 60 LGBTQ+ individuals were screened positive for PTSD symptoms, using the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist (PCL-5). The recruited participants were assigned to two research groups namely, experimental (N = 30), and control (N = 30) groups. Participants in the experimental group were treated with VRET, whereas participants in the control group did not go through VRET protocols. Participants were assessed at baseline, midline and a 3-month follow-up assessment at end line. The results from the independent sample t-test showed that VRET was effective in the treatment of PTSD (p = 0.042). The partial Eta Square effect size of (n2= 0.080; p = 0.042) at the end line is an indication that VRET has a medium effect size. VRET is effective to treat PTSD among LGBTQ+ individuals. For clinical psychologists working among this population who might be presenting with PTSD symptoms, VRET is a potential and effective intervention that could be used to help this population.