VR for Hope: A Brief VR Self-help Protocol to Enhance Hope and Well-being in Young Adults

Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Young Adults; Healthy Participants

Treatments: Other: VR for Hope intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07483762

26/25

Details and patient eligibility

About

The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of a brief self-help protocol based on immersive Virtual Reality (VR) to promote hope and psychological well-being in young adults while enhancing their mentalization capacity. The intervention consists of five sessions. The first session will be conducted in person and features an immersive VR experience, while the subsequent sessions will be delivered in a self-help format via audio and video materials. The intervention is designed to guide participants through personal reflection on key aspects of individual experience, such as hope and the understanding of one's own and others' mental states. Participants will complete self-report questionnaires before (T0) and after (T1) the intervention to assess levels of hope, psychological well-being, and mentalization capacity.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age between 18 and 30 years.
• Native Italian speakers or individuals with excellent comprehension of spoken and written Italian.

Exclusion criteria

• History of neurological disorders, presence of clinically significant maladaptive personality traits.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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40 participants in 1 patient group

VR for Hope intervention

Experimental group

Description:

VR for Hope implements a structured five-session protocol delivered over one week. This one-week intervention consists of one daily exercise utilizing the "River and the Leaf" metaphorical VR scenario and brief audio-guided sessions to enhance hope, well-being and mentalization through a blend of in-person and remote activities.

Treatment:

Other: VR for Hope intervention