Virtual Reality Relaxation for People with Mental Health Conditions: A Systematic Review
Open accessAbstract
PURPOSE: Vulnerability to stress is linked to poor mental health. Stress management interventions for people with mental health conditions are numerous but they are difficult to implement and have limited effectiveness in this population. Virtual reality (VR) relaxation is an innovative intervention that aims to reduce stress. This review aimed to synthesize evidence of VR relaxation for people with mental health conditions (PROSPERO 269405). METHODS: Embase, Medline, PsycInfo, and Web of Science were searched until 17th September 2021. The review was carried out according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) tool assessed methodological quality of studies. RESULTS: Searching identified 4550 studies. Eighteen studies (N = 848) were included in the review. Studies were published between 2008 and 2021. Eleven were conducted in Europe. Thirteen studies were controlled trials. Participants were mostly working-age adult outpatients experiencing anxiety or stress-related conditions. Other conditions included eating disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, and psychosis. Five studies tested inpatients. All studies used a range of nature-based virtual environments, such as forests, islands, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and most commonly, beaches to promote relaxation. Studies provided evidence of the feasibility, acceptability, and short-term effectiveness of VR relaxation to increase relaxation and reduce stress. EPHPP ratings were 'strong' (N = 11), 'moderate' (N = 4), and 'weak' (N = 3). CONCLUSIONS: VR relaxation has potential as a low-intensity intervention to promote relaxation and reduce stress for adults with mental health conditions, especially anxiety and stress-related problems. Further research is warranted on this promising intervention.
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iVR has been extensively researched beyond specific phobias, and reports have validated a panoramic impact on both stress-related and chronic anxiety disorders.
“iVR has been extensively researched beyond specific phobias, and reports have validated a panoramic impact on both stress-related and chronic anxiety disorders [24,25].”
From SAFEvR MentalVeRse.app: Development of a Free Immersive Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Acrophobia and Claustrophobia (2024) · cites this paper as [24]
The Results (page not provided) describe 18 studies beyond specific phobias and report mostly short-term reductions in stress or anxiety, including studies of people with generalized anxiety disorder. But the Discussion’s limitations section says longer-term benefits are largely untested and generalizability is limited, so the claim of a validated, panoramic impact on chronic anxiety and stress-related disorders overstates the evidence. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn mindfulness VR interventions, only 1 of 15 studies was home based.
“This finding aligns with existing evidence in mindfulness VR interventions, where only 1 of 15 studies was home based [54].”
From Immersive technologies for depression care: scoping review (2024) · cites this paper as [54]
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“…and achieving clinically relevant results [22], with evidence showing substantial improvements in therapeutic outcomes [23]. iVR has been extensively researched beyond specific phobias, and reports have validated a panoramic impact on both stress-related and chronic anxiety disorders [24,25].”
Background
- Authors
- Riches, S., Jeyarajaguru, P., Taylor, L., Fialho, C., Little, J., Ahmed, L., O’Brien, A., van Driel, C., Veling, W., & Valmaggia, L.
- Affiliations
- King's College London (GB)
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- St George's, University of London (GB)
- University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Riches, Simon
- Venue
- Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
- Published
- 2023-01-20
- Volume
- 58
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 989-1007
- ISSN
- 0933-7954 (ISSN-L)
- 1433-9285
- PMC
- PMC9852806
- OpenAlex
- W4317567358
- Cited by
- 128
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 46 · 2025: 46 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 11
- FWCI
- 4.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- St George's Online Research Archive (St George's University of London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Keywords
- virtual reality relaxation, virtual reality, mental illness, stress reduction, relaxation, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, psychosis, psychiatric inpatient care, low-intensity intervention
- MeSH terms
- Virtual Reality, Adult, Anxiety, Mental Disorders, Humans, Mental Health, Psychotherapy
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