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Cited by 80Schizophrenia research and treatmentVirtual Reality Applications and ImpactsAutism Spectrum Disorder Research

The acceptability and feasibility of a novel virtual reality based social skills training game for schizophrenia: Preliminary findings

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Adery, Laura H., Ichinose, Megan, Torregrossa, Lénie J., Wade, Joshua, Nichols, Heathman, Bekele, Esube, Bian, Dayi, Gizdic, Alena +3 more·2018·Psychiatry Research
DOI 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.10.014PMC PMC6314809
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Abstract

Social impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia that presents a major barrier toward recovery. Some of the psychotic symptoms are partly ameliorated by medication but the route to recovery is hampered by social impairments. Since existing social skills interventions tend to suffer from lack of availability, high-burden and low adherence, there is a dire need for an effective, alternative strategy. The present study examined the feasibility and acceptability of Multimodal Adaptive Social Intervention in Virtual Reality (MASI-VR) for improving social functioning and clinical outcomes in schizophrenia. Out of eighteen patients with schizophrenia who enrolled, seventeen participants completed the pre-treatment assessment and 10 sessions of MASI-VR, but one patient did not complete the post-treatment assessments. Therefore, the complete training plus pre- and post-treatment assessment data are available from sixteen participants. Clinical ratings of symptom severity were obtained at pre- and post-training. Retention rates were very high and training was rated as extremely satisfactory for the majority of participants. Participants exhibited a significant reduction in overall clinical symptoms, especially negative symptoms following 10 sessions of MASI-VR. These preliminary results support the feasibility and acceptability of a novel virtual reality social skills training program for individuals with schizophrenia.

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  • The effectiveness of VR interventions may depend on the degree of immersion and interactivity.

    “In contrast, the study that demonstrated non‐significant findings employed less immersive, menu‐based interactions with pre‐recorded sounds and feedback, suggesting that the effectiveness of VR interventions may depend on the degree of immersion and interactivity (Adery et al. 2018).”

    From Social Functioning Interventions in Psychosis: A Systematic Review. (2025) · cites this paper as Adery et al. 2018

    The Methods (MASI-VR; page unavailable) describe a non-immersive game with menu-based interactions, prerecorded speech, and feedback. The Results (Outcome measures; page unavailable) report no significant change in social functioning, but significant improvements in overall psychiatric and negative symptoms. The paper does not compare levels of immersion or interactivity, so it cannot establish that either explains the findings. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Adery, L. H., Ichinose, M., Torregrossa, L. J., Wade, J., Nichols, H., Bekele, E., Bian, D., Gizdic, A., Granholm, E., Sarkar, N., & Park, S.
Affiliations
  • Vanderbilt University (US)
  • University of California San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
Park, Sohee
ORCID
Venue
Psychiatry Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-12
Volume
270
Pages
496-502
ISSN
0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.psychres.2018.10.014
PMC
PMC6314809
OpenAlex
W2898057522
Cited by
80
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 3
FWCI
5.12
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
NARSAD (MH106748)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Keywords
schizophrenia, social skills training, virtual reality, social dysfunction, negative symptoms, feasibility, acceptability, symptom severity, social functioning
MeSH terms
Games, Recreational, Virtual Reality, Adult, Feasibility Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Psychotic Disorders, Schizophrenia, Schizophrenic Psychology, Social Adjustment, Patient Satisfaction, Social Skills

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