Guidelines for VRGT in depression
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Qualitative study to develop guidelines in virtual reality group therapy for the treatment of depression
IRAS ID
261426
Contact name
Merve Dilgul
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
QMUL
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research question: This study is using interviews and focus groups to explore how therapists want to deliver and how patients want to receive a new intervention; virtual reality treatment groups.
Methods: Participants will be recruited using a variety of methods, e.g. poster advertising, therapists known to the researcher. Focus groups will be held with therapists who have experience in providing cognitive behavioural therapy to mental health patients. One-to-one interviews will be conducted with patients who have a diagnosis of depression and who are living in the community.
At the beginning of the interviews and focus groups, participants will be given the opportunity to try the virtual reality technology. This is a headset with a mobile phone attached to it. Participants will then be asked for their views on using this technology to deliver or receive treatment for depression. The discussions will be audio recorded. Patients will be given £15 for their time and travel.
Analysis: The recording of the discussions will be transcribed to look at what was said. The transcripts will be imported into NVivo qualitative analysis software and analysed using The Framework Method. From the analysis, we aim to develop treatment guidance, e.g. duration and intensity of sessions.
This research is important as there are currently no guidelines on how to provide group therapy using virtual reality technology. Conducting this study, we hope to understand how virtual reality could be used to deliver group treatment. This knowledge will be used to develop virtual reality treatment.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EM/0217
Date of REC Opinion
1 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion