Virtual Reality Software for Therapy V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An investigation into the feasibility and acceptability of a virtual reality software adjunct to psychological therapy for the development of clinically relevant skills in adults with a personality disorder and young people with emotional problems.
IRAS ID
186815
Contact name
Chris Hollis
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The proposed research aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using virtual reality software as an adjunct to psychological therapy in the NHS for young people with mental health problems and adults with a personality disorder. The virtual reality software ProReal will be used to promote clinically relevant skills within each group. This will include helping young people to understand the relationship between their thoughts, emotions and behaviours and helping individuals with a personality disorder to think about the mental states of others.
ProReal is a virtual reality software that can be run on a desktop computer. This program is a virtual landscape set in generic countryside that you can add virtual bodies (avatars) and props (e.g. a clock or treasure chest) to. These items can be used to represent the participant’s world or a social situation or internal monologues. The researchers believe that this software will be a useful and effective tool to in conjunction with psychological therapy. This is particularly the case for people who find it difficult to talk about their emotions, including young people, or for people who struggle with social interactions, such as individuals with a personality disorder. We propose a small study of 4 sessions of using ProReal as an adjunct to existing psychological therapy.
Feasibility and acceptability will be assessed by interviewing participants and staff about their experience. We will also employ questionnaires throughout the protocol to assess for any changes in mental health arising from ProReal.
These results will have implications for future clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of virtual reality software adjuncts to therapy, including the design and implementation of those trials.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EM/0039
Date of REC Opinion
7 Mar 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion