The effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR) based mindfulness training on improvement mental-health in adults: A narrative systematic review
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: In recent years, digital techniques, such as virtual reality (VR) has been employed in tandem with more traditional psychological interventions. The aim of this study is to investigate whether VR-based mindfulness training can improve mental health outcomes, and notably mindfulness levels amongst adults. In addition, this review seeks to summarise the various designed VR scenarios, as well as those elements around VR that may assist people in practising mindfulness and meditation. METHODS: The search for eligible studies for inclusion was conducted via the following databases: the Applied Social Science Index & Abstract (ASSIA), PsychINFO, Medline, EMBASE, and the Web-of-Science Core Collection. Only experimental studies were eligible for inclusion, and specifically, those that compared the effectiveness of mindfulness training using immersive VR (on the one hand) with a control condition. RESULTS: This search generated 2523 articles published between 2016 and 2022, and of these, 106 were assessed for eligibility. This review included seven studies, with a collective total of 798 participants. VR-based mindfulness training has been shown to be more effective than conventional mindfulness - it improves levels of mindfulness and meditation experience; but also shown to reduce anxiety, depression, improve sleep quality, emotion regulation, and generate mood improvement. VR-based mindfulness training frequently contains natural 'environmentally relevant' elements, such as forest, grassland, caves, sea, etc. CONCLUSIONS: This review suggests that using VR to assist mindfulness training is an effective and innovative way to improve mental health conditions within the adult population. Further directions and limitations are discussed.
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Compared with non-VR mindfulness, VR mindfulness has reported benefits including improved adherence and mindfulness.
“Indeed, compared with non–VR mindfulness, reported benefits have included improved adherence [26,27] and mindfulness [27].”
From Examining the Use of Virtual Reality to Support Mindfulness Skills Practice in Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Mixed Methods Study (2024) · cites this paper as [27]
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- Authors
- Ma, J., Zhao, D., Xu, N., & Yang, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Yang, Jinmei
- Venue
- EXPLORE
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2023-05
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 310-318
- ISSN
- 1550-8307 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4289831924
- Cited by
- 176
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 48 · 2025: 60 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 4
- FWCI
- 5.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- EXPLORE (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Lanzhou Science and Technology Bureau (2019-RC-66)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Keywords
- immersive virtual reality, mindfulness training, mental health, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, emotion regulation, mood improvement, meditation, digital psychological interventions, adults
- MeSH terms
- Virtual Reality, Adult, Anxiety, Humans, Mental Health, Meditation, Mindfulness
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