Haena Kim1, Jung Eun Shin1, Yeon-Ju Hong2, Yu-Bin Shin2, Young Seok Shin3, Kiwan Han4, Jae-Jin Kim2, Soo-Hee Choi1,5. 1. 1 Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 2. 2 Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 3. 3 Department of Medical IT and Marketing, Eulji University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea. 4. 4 Department of Mental Health Research, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 5. 5 Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: One of the main characteristics of social anxiety disorder is excessive fear of social evaluation. In such situations, anxiety can influence gaze behaviour. Thus, the current study adopted virtual reality to examine eye gaze pattern of social anxiety disorder patients while presenting different types of speeches. METHODS: A total of 79 social anxiety disorder patients and 51 healthy controls presented prepared speeches on general topics and impromptu speeches on self-related topics to a virtual audience while their eye gaze was recorded. Their presentation performance was also evaluated. RESULTS: Overall, social anxiety disorder patients showed less eye gaze towards the audience than healthy controls. Types of speech did not influence social anxiety disorder patients' gaze allocation towards the audience. However, patients with social anxiety disorder showed significant correlations between the amount of eye gaze towards the audience while presenting self-related speeches and social anxiety cognitions. CONCLUSION: The current study confirms that eye gaze behaviour of social anxiety disorder patients is aversive and that their anxiety symptoms are more dependent on the nature of topic.
OBJECTIVE: One of the main characteristics of social anxiety disorder is excessive fear of social evaluation. In such situations, anxiety can influence gaze behaviour. Thus, the current study adopted virtual reality to examine eye gaze pattern of social anxiety disorderpatients while presenting different types of speeches. METHODS: A total of 79 social anxiety disorderpatients and 51 healthy controls presented prepared speeches on general topics and impromptu speeches on self-related topics to a virtual audience while their eye gaze was recorded. Their presentation performance was also evaluated. RESULTS: Overall, social anxiety disorderpatients showed less eye gaze towards the audience than healthy controls. Types of speech did not influence social anxiety disorderpatients' gaze allocation towards the audience. However, patients with social anxiety disorder showed significant correlations between the amount of eye gaze towards the audience while presenting self-related speeches and social anxiety cognitions. CONCLUSION: The current study confirms that eye gaze behaviour of social anxiety disorderpatients is aversive and that their anxiety symptoms are more dependent on the nature of topic.
Entities:
Keywords:
Social anxiety disorder; eye gaze; public speech; virtual environment
Authors: Theresa F Wechsler; Michael Pfaller; Rahel E van Eickels; Luise H Schulz; Andreas Mühlberger Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2021-12-14 Impact factor: 4.157