Virtual Reality (VR) for Stress Management

City University of New York, School of Public Health

Status: Completed

Conditions: Depressive Symptoms; Physical Activity; Resilience; Quality of Life; Anxiety; Sleep; Stress

Treatments: Device: virtual reality

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06970652

2023-0338-PHHP

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a randomized pilot trial that aims to examine the impact of smartphone-based Virtual Reality (VR) intervention, MindCo Relief, in reducing stress levels and perceived anxiety, depression, and quality of life among young adults.

Full description

Research has shown that young adults are more likely to experience high stress levels due to the combined pressures of academic achievement, career development, financial strain, and navigating interpersonal relationships. High stress levels may contribute to sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) have shown effectiveness, traditional interventions are not always accessible or appealing to young adults due to barriers such as stigma, availability, or personal preference.

This study aims to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of MindCo Relief, a mobile virtual reality (VR)-based stress management program. The study will recruit 70 young adults aged 18-29 residing in New York City who report moderate to high perceived stress based on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Participants must own a smartphone (iOS or Android), be able to operate the study app, and not be enrolled in other stress reduction programs or have photosensitive epilepsy. After online eligibility screening and signed the informed consent, participants will visit the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) for baseline assessments, hair sample collection, and equipment setup. Participants will be randomized to either the intervention or a control group (no active treatment). All participants will be asked to wear a Fitbit Inspire 3 throughout the 8-week study to track physical activity and sleep.

The intervention group will receive access to the MindCo Relief mobile application and a VR headset. The program combining immersive VR mindfulness exercises, cognitive-behavioral education, and self-reflective journaling. Participants may also access up to three optional coaching sessions delivered by trained behavioral health professionals. The control group will complete the same assessments on the same schedule but will not receive any intervention during the study.

Primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and 8 weeks post-intervention. The primary outcome is perceived stress (PSS-10). Secondary outcomes include resilience (CD-RISC2), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), quality of life (GWS), and sleep quality. Hair cortisol will be used to evaluate biological stress response. All survey-based outcomes will be collected online using REDCap.

Enrollment: 70 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 29 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Young adults ages 18-29
• Self-reporting moderate or high perceived stress (PSS-10 score 14 or above)
• able to participate in the trial within 2 weeks after signing informed consent
• have access to a smartphone
• accept to have a hair fragments table for hair cortisol level measurements

Exclusion criteria

• Participating in other stress reduction programs
• With photosensitive epilepsy for safety reasons.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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70 participants in 2 patient groups

Control

No Intervention group

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

MindCo Relief, a mobile VR-based stress management application

Treatment:

Device: virtual reality