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Social environments and interpersonal distance regulation in psychosis : A virtual reality study

Geraets, Chris N.W. LU ; van Beilen, Marije ; Pot-Kolder, Roos ; Counotte, Jacqueline ; van der Gaag, Mark and Veling, Wim (2018) In Schizophrenia Research 192. p.96-101
Abstract

Background: Experimentally studying the influence of social environments on mental health and behavior is challenging, as social context is difficult to standardize in laboratory settings. Virtual Reality (VR) enables studying social interaction in terms of interpersonal distance in a more ecologically valid manner. Regulation of interpersonal distance may be abnormal in patients with psychotic disorders and influenced by environmental stress, symptoms or distress. Aims: To investigate interpersonal distance in people with a psychotic disorder and at ultrahigh risk for psychosis (UHR) compared to siblings and controls in virtual social environments, and explore the relationship between clinical characteristics and interpersonal... (More)

Background: Experimentally studying the influence of social environments on mental health and behavior is challenging, as social context is difficult to standardize in laboratory settings. Virtual Reality (VR) enables studying social interaction in terms of interpersonal distance in a more ecologically valid manner. Regulation of interpersonal distance may be abnormal in patients with psychotic disorders and influenced by environmental stress, symptoms or distress. Aims: To investigate interpersonal distance in people with a psychotic disorder and at ultrahigh risk for psychosis (UHR) compared to siblings and controls in virtual social environments, and explore the relationship between clinical characteristics and interpersonal distance. Methods: Nineteen UHR patients, 52 patients with psychotic disorders, 40 siblings of patients with a psychotic disorder and 47 controls were exposed to virtual cafés. In five virtual café visits, participants were exposed to different levels of social stress, in terms of crowdedness, ethnicity and hostility. Measures on interpersonal distance, distress and state paranoia were obtained. Baseline measures included trait paranoia, social anxiety, depressive, positive and negative symptoms. Results: Interpersonal distance increased when social stressors were present in the environment. No difference in interpersonal distance regulation was found between the groups. Social anxiety and distress were positively associated with interpersonal distance in the total sample. Conclusion: This VR paradigm indicates that interpersonal distance regulation in response to environmental social stressors is unaltered in people with psychosis or UHR. Environmental stress, social anxiety and distress trigger both people with and without psychosis to maintain larger interpersonal distances in social situations.

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author
; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Interpersonal distance, Personal space, Psychosis, Social environment, Virtual reality
in
Schizophrenia Research
volume
192
pages
96 - 101
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:28442248
  • scopus:85018747912
ISSN
0920-9964
DOI
10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.034
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Elsevier B.V.
id
0562d1bb-9582-4be3-866c-51e1fdae20dc
date added to LUP
2024-10-21 10:48:11
date last changed
2025-07-01 08:56:44
@article{0562d1bb-9582-4be3-866c-51e1fdae20dc,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Experimentally studying the influence of social environments on mental health and behavior is challenging, as social context is difficult to standardize in laboratory settings. Virtual Reality (VR) enables studying social interaction in terms of interpersonal distance in a more ecologically valid manner. Regulation of interpersonal distance may be abnormal in patients with psychotic disorders and influenced by environmental stress, symptoms or distress. Aims: To investigate interpersonal distance in people with a psychotic disorder and at ultrahigh risk for psychosis (UHR) compared to siblings and controls in virtual social environments, and explore the relationship between clinical characteristics and interpersonal distance. Methods: Nineteen UHR patients, 52 patients with psychotic disorders, 40 siblings of patients with a psychotic disorder and 47 controls were exposed to virtual cafés. In five virtual café visits, participants were exposed to different levels of social stress, in terms of crowdedness, ethnicity and hostility. Measures on interpersonal distance, distress and state paranoia were obtained. Baseline measures included trait paranoia, social anxiety, depressive, positive and negative symptoms. Results: Interpersonal distance increased when social stressors were present in the environment. No difference in interpersonal distance regulation was found between the groups. Social anxiety and distress were positively associated with interpersonal distance in the total sample. Conclusion: This VR paradigm indicates that interpersonal distance regulation in response to environmental social stressors is unaltered in people with psychosis or UHR. Environmental stress, social anxiety and distress trigger both people with and without psychosis to maintain larger interpersonal distances in social situations.</p>}},
  author       = {{Geraets, Chris N.W. and van Beilen, Marije and Pot-Kolder, Roos and Counotte, Jacqueline and van der Gaag, Mark and Veling, Wim}},
  issn         = {{0920-9964}},
  keywords     = {{Interpersonal distance; Personal space; Psychosis; Social environment; Virtual reality}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{96--101}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Schizophrenia Research}},
  title        = {{Social environments and interpersonal distance regulation in psychosis : A virtual reality study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.034}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.034}},
  volume       = {{192}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}