Training of Differential Diagnosis of Dissociative Disorders with Virtual Reality Simulations. Effectiveness and Usability.

Abstract

A training program of differential diagnosis skills was developed to enhance the learning of the psychopathological exploration of Dissociative Disorders using Virtual Reality (VR) based simulations. The sample of the study consisted of 60 psychology students (University of Barcelona). Comparisons between the experimental (VR training) and the control group (traditional role-playing training) showed that students trained with the VR system obtained better scores than students trained with the traditional method. The usability was assessed with the Software Usability Measurement Inventory (SUMI). Results suggested that simulated interviews are a friendly and motivating tool to train diagnostic abilities in psychology students.