{"ID":2839833,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.14118","arxiv_id":"2511.14118","title":"Gamified Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Mysophobia: Evaluating the Efficacy of a Simulated Sneeze Intervention","abstract":"Mysophobia, or the fear of germs, is a prevalent anxiety disorder that significantly impacts daily life. This study investigates the potential of a gamified virtual reality (VR) intervention to simulate contamination-related scenarios and assess their emotional and psychological effects. A VR game based sneeze simulation was developed to evaluate its influence on participants' emotional states. Seven participants completed two versions of the game: a baseline version and an experimental version featuring the sneeze simulation. Emotional responses were measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State (STAI-S) questionnaires. The results revealed slight increases in negative affect and anxiety levels during the sneeze simulation. Also, a reduction in positive affect was revealed. However, these differences were not statistically significant (p \u003e 0.05). This is likely due to small sample sizes, a lack of grossness in the simulation, or participants not being clinically mysophobes. This exploratory study highlights the potential of VR-based interventions for understanding and addressing contamination-related anxieties. It provides a foundation for future research with larger and more diverse participant pools.","short_abstract":"Mysophobia, or the fear of germs, is a prevalent anxiety disorder that significantly impacts daily life. This study investigates the potential of a gamified virtual reality (VR) intervention to simulate contamination-related scenarios and assess their emotional and psychological effects. A VR game based sneeze simulati...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.14118","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.14118v1","authors":"[\"Md Mosharaf Hossan\",\"Rifat Ara Tasnim\",\"Farjana Z Eishita\"]","published":"2025-11-18T04:10:56Z","proceeding":"cs.HC","tasks":"[\"cs.HC\"]","methods":"[\"LoRA\"]","has_code":false}