The DOI matches its Crossref record; 109 of the 109 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Use of Virtual Reality Technology in the Treatment of Anxiety and Other Psychiatric Disorders
Open accessAbstract
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After participating in this activity, learners should be better able to:• Evaluate the literature regarding the effectiveness of incorporating virtual reality (VR) in the treatment of psychiatric disorders• Assess the use of exposure-based intervention for anxiety disorders ABSTRACT: Virtual reality (VR) allows users to experience a sense of presence in a computer-generated, three-dimensional environment. Sensory information is delivered through a head-mounted display and specialized interface devices. These devices track head movements so that the movements and images change in a natural way with head motion, allowing for a sense of immersion. VR, which allows for controlled delivery of sensory stimulation via the therapist, is a convenient and cost-effective treatment. This review focuses on the available literature regarding the effectiveness of incorporating VR within the treatment of various psychiatric disorders, with particular attention to exposure-based intervention for anxiety disorders. A systematic literature search was conducted in order to identify studies implementing VR-based treatment for anxiety or other psychiatric disorders. This article reviews the history of the development of VR-based technology and its use within psychiatric treatment, the empirical evidence for VR-based treatment, and the benefits for using VR for psychiatric research and treatment. It also presents recommendations for how to incorporate VR into psychiatric care and discusses future directions for VR-based treatment and clinical research.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Experiencing presence when immersed in VR has been reported to be an important factor for the implementation of effective interventions in VR (Maples-Keller et al., 2017).”
From iSenseVR: bringing VR exposure therapy outside the laboratory (2019) · cites this paper as Maples-Keller et al., 2017
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“VR exposure therapy allows the controlled delivery of sensory stimulation (Maples-Keller et al., 2017).”
From iSenseVR: bringing VR exposure therapy outside the laboratory (2019) · cites this paper as Maples-Keller et al., 2017
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“For instance, virtual reality (VR) technology, accessed through head-mounted displays, provides an immersive experience similar to real-life situations and has been used in controlled environments [7].”
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“However, when traditional graded exposure becomes complex to set up due to difficulties to control specific environment cues, VR offers opportunities for highly controllable settings empowering sensory exposure with the presence of the therapist, which would not be possible otherwise (Maples-Keller et al., 2017).”
From iSenseVR: bringing VR exposure therapy outside the laboratory (2019) · cites this paper as Maples-Keller et al., 2017
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Ressler, K. J., Rothbaum, B. O., Tannenbaum, L., Anderson, P., Graap, K., Zimand, E., Hodges, L., & Davis, M. (2004) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.61.11.1136 · Cited by 1,063
Self-citationParsons, T. D., & Rizzo, A. A. (2008) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2007.07.007 · Cited by 994 · cited 1×
“…treatment research has been conducted for anxiety disorders, and broadly, results suggest the VRE is related to large declines in anxiety symptoms, 12 demonstrates similar efficacy compared to traditional exposure interventions, has a powerful real-life impact, and demonstrates good stability of…”
ResultVirtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety disorders: A meta-analysis
Powers, M. B., & Emmelkamp, P. M. G. (2008) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.04.006 · Cited by 904 · cited 1×
“14 There is evidence that treatment gains made in VRE generalize to real life, as meta-analytic results suggest that VRE patients, compared to wait-list patients, perform significantly better on behavioral assessments post-treatment, and found no significant differences between VRE and in-vivo…”
BackgroundSutherland, I. E. (1965) · Cited by 754
What's real about virtual reality?
Brooks, F. P. (1999) · IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications · doi:10.1109/38.799723 · Cited by 737
Virtual reality social cognition training for young adults with high-functioning autism
Kandalaft, M. R., Didehbani, N., Krawczyk, D. C., Allen, T. T., & Chapman, S. B. (2013) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1544-6 · Cited by 697
Effectiveness of computer-generated (virtual reality) graded exposure in the treatment of acrophobia
(1995) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.152.4.626 · Cited by 694 · cited 1×
“In particular, VR is effective in treating acrophobia based on both within-group,(38) and controlled between-group, data.(10,39,40) Similar effects have been observed in RCTs for treating arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and, in one multiple-baseline study, fear of driving.”
BackgroundSelf-citationVirtual reality exposure therapy in anxiety disorders: a quantitative meta-analysis
Opriş, D., Pintea, S., García-Palacios, A., Botella, C., Szamosközi, Ş., & David, D. (2012) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.20910 · Cited by 636 · cited 1×
“13 Meta-analytic results for VRE for anxiety disorders even suggest a small effect size favoring VRE over in-vivo conditions, despite most studies not demonstrating an advantage when considered in isolation.”
BackgroundDinh, H. Q., Walker, N., Hodges, L. F., Song, C., & Kobayashi, A. (2003) · Proceedings IEEE Virtual Reality (Cat. No. 99CB36316) · doi:10.1109/vr.1999.756955 · Cited by 566 · cited 2×
“control of sensory cues, particularly for auditory, tactile, and olfactory systems, increases the sense of realism and memory of the virtual environment.(1,4,5)”
BackgroundEfficacy of treatments for anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis
Bandelow, B., Reitt, M., Röver, C., Michaelis, S., Görlich, Y., & Wedekind, D. (2015) · International Clinical Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1097/yic.0000000000000078 · Cited by 555 · cited 1×
“Anxiety Disorders Awide body of research has suggested large treatment effects for exposure-based therapy for anxiety disorders.(11) Modern exposure therapy is based on emotion-processing theory, which posits that fearmemories are structures that contain information regarding fear stimuli, responses, and meaning.”
Background
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 701–800 of 860
Marchioro, D. M., Fonseca, A. A., Benatti, F., & Zuin, M. (2024) · Palgrave Studies in Cyberpsychology. · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-68196-7_1
Pancini, E., Fumagalli, A., Maggiolini, S., Misuraca, C., Negri, D., Bernardelli, L., & Villani, D. (2024) · doi:10.2196/preprints.67395
McLoughlan, A., Semciw, A. I., Borland, R., Oldenburg, B. F., Beauchamp, A., Mehmet, H., & Jessup, R. L. (2024) · Journal of Multidisciplinary Care · doi:10.34172/jmdc.1285
Kook, H. J., Kang, D.-H., Park, Y., Kim, N.-K., Kang, H.-W., & Jung, I. C. (2024) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare12232407
Virtual Reality in Medical Education: Prometheus' Gift or Pandora's Box?Preprint
Kara, F., Batı, A. H., Karaca, O., Baran, A. S., & Ergin, İ. (2024) · Qeios · doi:10.32388/suzo18
Virtual Reality in Medical Education: Prometheus' Gift or Pandora's Box?Preprint
Kara, F., Batı, A. H., Karaca, O., Baran, A. S., & Ergin, İ. (2024) · Qeios · doi:10.32388/suzo18.2
EFFECT OF VR-BASED MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION ON FEAR AMONG ADULTS
Bharmal, S., Sawant, G., Devi, P., & Shreelakshmi, P. (2024) · PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND LAW REVIEW · doi:10.36690/2674-5216-2024-4-45-53
Virtual Reality in Medical Education: Prometheus' Gift or Pandora's Box?Preprint
Kara, F., Batı, A. H., Karaca, O., Baran, A. S., & Ergin, İ. (2025) · Qeios · doi:10.32388/suzo18.3
Virtual Reality in Clinical Mental Health
Stone, J. (2025) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781394278480.ch7 · Cited by 1
Stone, J. (2025) · doi:10.1002/9781394278480.ch1
Baker, L., & Jones, C. W. (2025) · doi:10.1002/9781394278480.ch13
Virtual Reality and Neurodivergence
Grant, R. J. (2025) · doi:10.1002/9781394278480.ch10
AI-enabled simulation and virtual learning environments
Khan, S. M. (2025) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-33584-6.00006-2
Advancing Mental Health Care: Global Perspectives on Digital and Telepsychiatry Solutions
Mucić, D., Hilty, D. M., & Yellowlees, P. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-59936-1_17 · Cited by 1
Effects of the Soothe Vision well-being tool on university students’ mood: a pilot study
Tariq, A., Yang, Y., Liu, Z., Wong, S. C., Gray, E., McLaughlin, A. L., Arthur, C. J., & Chan, S. W. Y. (2025) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-025-07649-7 · Cited by 1
“Research suggested that VR therapy significantly reduces negative emotions and promotes relax - ation by engaging users in multisensory stimuli (Montana et al., 2020; Maples-Keller et al., 2017).”
Computational Attitudes in Counselling Psychology
Mishra, B., Khan, F. D., Tiwari, A., & Joseph, A. S. (2025) · doi:10.1002/9781394242474.ch5
The Integration of Metaverse in Psychiatry and Mental Health
Malviya, R., & Rajput, S. (2025) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781394315680.ch9
Beletskaya, I. A. (2025) · Springer proceedings in earth and environmental sciences · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-88459-7_2
Designing health: the evolution of medical narratives in video games
Vidal, A. D., González-Egido, P., Domínguez-Estévez, F., Cordero-Álvarez, M., Barroso-Cerro, J. L., Criado-Encinas, J., Carrasco-Molina, S., & Arroyo‐Acosta, C. (2025) · Entertainment Computing · doi:10.1016/j.entcom.2025.100969
From Physical to Virtual: The Transition of Psychological Therapy in the Digital Age
Kamene, K. (2025) · Premier Journal of Psychology · doi:10.70389/pjp.100007
“33 VR has also been used to assess social cognition, competency, cravings, and even shopping behaviors, correlating with real-world outcomes.”
Bostan, C. M., Măgurianu, L.-A., Axinte, M., Găină, A. M., & Găină, M.-A. (2025) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/66112 · Cited by 2
“Amid global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, VR-CBT promises to support traditional therapies by reducing physical and emotional barriers associated with exposure sessions [28].”
Shaikh, S. N., Zhen, L., Sohu, J. M., Shah, S. A., & Soomro, H. A. (2025) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-5072-1.ch015
PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN METAVERSES: THE PERSONAMATRIX MODEL
Drobakha, A., & Zołotar, O. (2025) · doi:10.69635/978-1-0690482-4-0-ch18 · Cited by 13
Wu, C., Yeh, P.-C., Huang, K., & Lu, Y.-W. (2025) · Information Development · doi:10.1177/02666669251331285
Realidad inmersiva en la salud mental para el tratamiento de trastornos de ansiedad.
Pinargote-Garcia, Y., & Zambrano-Solórzano, T. (2025) · Revista Científica Multidisciplinar G-nerando · doi:10.60100/rcmg.v6i1.694
Hernandez, D. E. B., Espinoza, F. L., Garzón, M., Lala, C. M., & Valladolid, C. A. S. (2025) · Revista Conectividad · doi:10.37431/conectividad.v6i3.251
McDowel, A., & Khasawneh, A. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5358190
Astell, A. J., & Clayton, D. (2025) · Synthesis lectures on technology and health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-87031-6_3
Benefits and challenges of Metaverse in healthcare industry
Tanguturi, R. C., Kasetty, S. B., Margret, I. N., Pavitra, A. R. R., & Nalluri, S. (2025) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-30182-7.00014-2
Stan, D., Voicu, D. C., Zainea, P., Alexandra Monica, T. O. M. A., & Ciubară, A. (2025) · Diseases · doi:10.3390/diseases13090308
Chinchella, N., & White, B. (2025) · Philosophical Psychology · doi:10.1080/09515089.2025.2563072
“…preliminary results, VR was subsequently utilized in the treatment of an array of conditions, including anxiety disorders (Gorini & Riva, 2008; Maples-Keller et al., 2017), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Gonçalves et al., 2012) and pain management (Chuan et al., 2021; Pourmand et al.,…”
Evaluating VR-Based Meditation as a Tool to Manage Test Anxiety in Academic Settings
McDowell, A., Khasawneh, A., Neeley, F., & Smith, H. (2025) · Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting · doi:10.1177/10711813251358803
Technological Innovations in the Evidence-Based Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
Delgado, N., McCalla, K., Siegel, A., & Mcguire, J. F. (2025) · Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.psc.2025.08.022
Decreased anxiety through haptic technology patch usage: A case-control comparison
Fason, J., Gudin, J. A., & Hurwitz, P. L. (2025) · Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care · doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1981_24
Zeng, H., & Su, S. (2025) · Religions · doi:10.3390/rel16101276 · Cited by 1
The Future of Digital Mental Health
Villarreal, R. I., Singhal, S., Dempsey, A. G., & Shore, J. H. (2025) · Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.psc.2025.08.026
The Role of VR and AR in Intelligent Computing
Sajithabanu, S., Devika, S. T., Deeba, S., & Anand, J. (2025) · doi:10.1002/9781394336081.ch13
Comparing agent-based VR stress therapy: Single vs. Group interventions
Islam, M., & Takeuchi, Y. (2025) · IEEE RO-MAN · doi:10.1109/ro-man63969.2025.11217815
“Research shows that, VR-CBT is as effective as traditional CBT at treating anxiety disorders and can be especially helpful for individuals reluctant to engage in in-vivo exposure[6], [7].”
An Optimized Immersive Virtual Reality System for Exposure Therapy in Treating Amaxophobia
Figuerola-Escoto, R. P., Cotero, A. G. G., Alva, R., Bernal, L. S., Coronel, G. E. O., Avalos, J.-G., & Sánchez, G. (2025) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app152111740
Lyu, Y., Chakraborty, S., Lee, H.-S., Gagnon, H. C., Park, S., & Bodenheimer, B. (2025) · Proceedings - International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality, ISMAR · doi:10.1109/ismar67309.2025.00141
Building a Resilient Force: Military Mental Healthcare Transformation
Halappanavar, A., & Singhal, A. (2025) · Journal of Marine Medical Society · doi:10.4103/jmms.jmms_99_25
Sauer, J., & Riecke, B. E. (2025) · IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Adjunct (ISMAR-Adjunct) · doi:10.1109/ismar-adjunct68609.2025.00111
Virtual Reality And Its Applications In Clinical Settings, Between Risks And Benefits
(2024) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/979-8-88730-594-30251010
Digital innovations in mental health
Reddy, K. J. (2025) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-43908-7.00021-5
Implementing telehealth and virtual care models
Reddy, K. J. (2025) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-43908-7.00017-3
Hybrid multi-layer compressive light-field near-eye 3D display using focus tunable lenses
Wang, X., Gu, H., Liu, M., & Wu, Y. (2025) · Optoelectronic Imaging and Multimedia Technology · doi:10.1117/12.3073368
“They profoundly impact numerous fields such as entertainment [1], education [2], healthcare [3, 4], industrial design [5], and remote collaboration [6], reshaping our perception of the digital world.”
Polo, K. G. L., Mancheno, J. M. O., & Palacios, M. E. R. (2025) · Religación · doi:10.46652/rgn.v11i49.1591
Rehman, S. A., Parveen, S., & Munawar, N. (2025) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-4217-7.ch009
Jeanningros, A., Bouchard, S., & Potvin‐Desrochers, A. (2025) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm14248837
“The potential of VR to target the fear-avoidance scheme exhibited by individuals with kinesiophobia suggests its potential as a therapeutic modality for managing the fear of movement [57].”
Cassani, R., Novak, G. S., Falk, T. H., & de Oliveira, A. A. (2020) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.13173742
King, A. L., Acquaye, A., Vera, E., Mendoza, T., Reyes, J., Stockdill, M., Gilbert, M. R., & Armstrong, T. S. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.26576654
ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ВІРТУАЛЬНОЇ РЕАЛЬНОСТІ В ПСИХОЛОГІЇ: СУЧАСНИЙ СТАН ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ
Lomakin, A., & Батурін, М. (2025) · Вісник ХНПУ імені Г С Сковороди Психология · doi:10.34142/23129387.2025.73.07
Powering the Movement Towards Smart Hospitals
Wong, M., Lau, Y. Y. J., & Lam, C. Y. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-97-1788-0_5-1
Choheili, S., Marashian, F. S., Safarzadeh, S., & Asgari, P. (2025) · Journal of Health Reports and Technology · doi:10.5812/jhrt-166711
Immersive Virtual-Reality-Technologien in der betrieblichen psychischen Gesundheitsförderung
Mache, S., Salim-Latzel, M., Groneberg, D. A., & Harth, V. (2026) · Zentralblatt für Arbeitsmedizin Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie · doi:10.1007/s40664-025-00600-4
Kilic, S. (2026) · Clinical Case Reports · doi:10.1002/ccr3.71715
“While Virtual Reality (VR) has already demonstrated efficacy as an adjunct to exposure-based therapies for anxiety-related disorders [10], recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have opened new avenues for digital augmentation of psychotherapy.”
The impact of virtual reality-based forest therapy in psychiatric inpatient care: a pilot study
Martins, R., de Sousa, S., Viana, J., Fortuna, R., Henriques, A., Silva, A., & de Almeida, R. S. (2026) · Advances in Mental Health · doi:10.1080/18387357.2026.2615679 · Cited by 1
ПІДГОТОВКА ФАХІВЦІВ З РЕАБІЛІТАЦІЙНОЇ ПСИХОЛОГІЇ: VR ЯК ІННОВАЦІЙНА ОСВІТНЯ ТЕХНОЛОГІЯ
Котух, Є., Рябокінь, М., Shkrebtiienko, L., & Лановенко, Ю. В. (2025) · New Collegium · doi:10.34142/nc.2025.4.37
Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Counseling Practice: A Short Review (Preprint)Preprint
Petee, H., Bonilha, L., & Toriello, P. J. (2026) · doi:10.2196/preprints.91904
Classification of Stress States Using Cardiac Impedance and Ground Reaction Force in Virtual Reality
Malik, M. S., Shafique, L., Khalid, S., Cheema, M. O., Din, Z. M. U., & Gul, J. Z. (2025) · International Multi-Topic Conference · doi:10.1109/inmic65900.2025.11348443
“Researchers have applied the VR to study fear and phobia and anxiety [9][13][21][28].”
Pratama, V. K. P., Benedictus, B., Putra, R. A. H., Panjaitan, K. E., & Pramaratu, I. (2026) · Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.jopan.2025.09.012
Marlina, & Samala, A. D. (2026) · The Journal of Adult Protection · doi:10.1108/jap-08-2025-0032
Ayón-Delgado, P. A., Martínez-Fernández, D. E., & Fernández-Quezada, D. (2026) · Psychiatry International · doi:10.3390/psychiatryint7010029
“Virtual reality tasks have been successfully implemented in patients with PTSD, anxiety disorders, and mild cognitive impairment to assess hippocampal-dependent memory, attentional control, and stress responsivity [55–57].”
Transforming Mental Health Education
Chaturvedi, S., Chaturvedi, D. C., & Sharma, T. (2026) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-3877-4.ch014
Virtual return to work scenarios as emotional exposure tools: evidence from a non-clinical sample
Delroisse, S., Mikolajczak, M., & Wagener, A. (2026) · Virtual Reality · doi:10.1007/s10055-026-01314-5
“Third, VR reduces out-of-office travel costs for exposure situations (e.g., transportation costs) and it offers security and confi - dentiality to be practiced in the therapy office (Bouchard and Paquette 2023 té & Bouchard, 2008; Maples-Keller et al. 2017).”
Wu, X., Wang, W., Wang, Y., Xue, Y., Zhao, H., Liu, J., & Peng, Y. (2026) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-026-09040-6
“VR is a technological interface that offers a fully immersive experience within a three-dimensional virtual environment via a head-mounted display (HMD) (Bisso et al., 2020; Maples-Keller et al., 2017 ).”
YogaVR: An AI and IoT-Based Posture Correction Approach for Yoga in Virtual Reality
Akilesh, S., Pai, T. V., Raghuraman, M., A, M. K. K., & Ilakiyaselvan, N. (2025) · International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Signal Processing (AISP) · doi:10.1109/aisp68263.2025.11396155
“Tailored for neurodivergent and rehabilitative users, YogaVR combines adaptive sensory profiles and an AI voice agent, boosting engagement by roughly 2% (8.1 ± 1.9) compared to similar VR fitness systems [5], [7].”
InfluentialSingh, A., & Sachan, S. (2026) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-6881-8.ch014
Lenormand, D., Gaston‐Bellegarde, A., Orriols, É., & Piolino, P. (2026) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-026-37539-2
“Finally, our VE paradigm could be adapted to assist participants in processing and integrating traumatic experiences through immersion and interaction and subsequent reactivation, which aligns with the principles of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy 135 .”
Song, T. (2026) · International Journal of Systems Assurance Engineering and Management · doi:10.1007/s13198-026-03179-y
Hayashi, Y., Shimojo, S., & Kiuchi, K. (2026) · ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) · doi:10.1145/3776734.3794482
Caltabiano, A., Akin, A. D., Simplicio, M. D., & Zalk, N. V. (2026) · Virtual Reality · doi:10.1007/s10055-026-01350-1
“…exposure scenarios, enables manipulation of exposure-intensity stimulus parameters, and supports progression through a graded exposure hierarchy) can be deployed across multiple devices with limited incremental cost and maintenance (Wiebe et al. 2022; Farra et al. 2019; Maples-Keller et al. 2017).”
Scoping insights into the application of virtual reality in patient care and clinical practice
Al-Taie, A. (2026) · Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives · doi:10.24171/j.phrp.2025.0547
“Through direct or indirect changes to neural signaling pathways involving attention, focus, memory, emotion, and sensory processing (sight, hearing, and touch), VR may reduce perceived pain [16–18].”
Colella, G. M., Silvestro, E., Cosentino, V., Capparelli, V., Gravina, A., Barbieri, L., Costabile, A., Bruno, F., & Craig, F. (2026) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-026-04418-4 · Cited by 2
“…emotional regulation, behavioral change, and the integration of lived experiences by providing immersive, embodied, and repeatable simulations, thereby activating both cognitive and affective processing systems and fostering learning and desensitization in a realistic yet secure context [14, 15].”
Cardoso, A. L. C., Gonçalves, L. L., Cardoso, A., & de Siqueira, A. G. (2026) · IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and eXtended and Virtual Reality (AIxVR) · doi:10.1109/aixvr67263.2026.00065
“Meta-analyses indicate that therapist-guided VR tends to produce stronger reductions in avoidance and more stable emotional regulation compared to self-guided formats [8], [9], supporting the view that professional presence is a relevant mechanism of therapeutic efficacy.”
Sinem, A. C. A. R., Doğan, U., Sarıcaoğlu, H., Üzmez, H., & Dağılgan, E. B. (2026) · PRESENCE Virtual and Augmented Reality · doi:10.1162/pres.a.429
Practitioner Acceptability of Virtual Reality Therapy in Mental Health Care: Evidence From Greece
Skeva, R., Pedioti, N., Efthymiou, M. E., Fotou, V., Gregg, L., & Papadakaki, M. (2026) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.71322
“…domain, due to its ability to offer controlled, immersive exposure (VR exposure therapy [VRET]) and increased practicality compared to traditional exposure techniques—in vivo and imaginal exposure therapies (Baghaei et al. 2021 ; Maples-Keller et al. 2017 ; Carl et al. 2019 ; Freeman et al. 2017 ).”
Problèmes liés aux jeux d’argent et usages excessifs liés aux écrans
Rémond, J.-J. (2021) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/2c180510zde5fz4b4az8bcaz631d1c92d177
Li, R., Hoang, T. N., Trieu, V.-H., & Khalajzadeh, H. (2026) · CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA) · doi:10.1145/3772363.3798737
“While prior research has primarily framed VR as an exposure-oriented intervention [8, 15], our findings suggest the need to move beyond scene replication toward adaptive performance contexts.”
When Threats Go Unnoticed: The Design Pitfalls of Subtle Stressors in VR Exposure Therapy
Švadlenková, K., Chmelík, J., Echeverri, D., Juřík, V., Bílý, V., & Rusňák, V. (2026) · CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA) · doi:10.1145/3772363.3799348
“Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) relies on the principle of graded exposure – the systematic variation of stimulus intensity to match a patient’s progress [18].”
You, C.-W., Chen, Y.-M., Lin, Y.-C., Yuan, C. W., Bi, N., Lin, H.-W., Wu, H., Peng, S.-H., & Huang, M.-C. (2026) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3772318.3790665
“VRET has proven effective in treating a variety of mental health conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [43, 95], anxiety disorders [8, 72], phobias [38, 39], and substance use disorders [52].”
mansor, K., Abdellatif, S. A., & Mohamed, N. A. (2025) · Palestinian medical and pharmaceutical journal/Palestinian medical & pharmaceutical journal · doi:10.59049/2790-0231.12.1.2633
Hofbauer, K., & Juvrud, J. (2026) · Frontiers in Virtual Reality · doi:10.3389/frvir.2026.1785069
Hoff, B., Palmer, B., & Daşdöğen, Ü. (2026) · Journal of Voice · doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2026.03.033
The use of avatars to improve empathy and emotional intelligence: A scoping review
Ciarmoli, D., Scuotto, C., Vinci, L. A., & Triberti, S. (2026) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106823
Huang, L., Wang, G., & Sabran, K. (2026) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2026.2654078
Zhao, H., Ying, X., Du, X., Ren, G., Deng, H., Li, W., Wang, J., Chen, M., Shao, Z., Zhang, J., et al. (2026) · Addiction Biology · doi:10.1111/adb.70166
“When users perceive that the environment accurately simulates the real-world experience they aim to replicate, they can fully immerse themselves in VR [18].”
Uses of Technology in Psychological Assessment Practices
Lieberman, E., & Chahin, S. S. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-19116-8_20
Prescribed Interventions to Reduce Depression
Sunzeri, F. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-14465-2_22
敖, 春. (2026) · Advances in Psychology · doi:10.12677/ap.2026.165264
Hoffman, L. J., Garcia, A., Bond, A. E., & Albano, A. M. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-29009-1.00019-6
Cinar, O. E. (2026) · Frontiers in Virtual Reality · doi:10.3389/frvir.2026.1826777
Metadata
- Authors
- Maples-Keller, J. L., Bunnell, B. E., Kim, S.-J., & Rothbaum, B. O.
- Affiliations
- Emory University (US)
- Venue
- Harvard Review of Psychiatry
- Published
- 2017-05
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 103-113
- ISSN
- 1067-3229 (ISSN-L)
- 1465-7309
- PMC
- PMC5421394
- OpenAlex
- W2611287876
- Cited by
- 862
- References
- 108
- Citations by year
- 2026: 111 · 2025: 147 · 2024: 115 · 2023: 93 · 2022: 113 · 2021: 117 · 2020: 85 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 5
- FWCI
- 4.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Harvard Review of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Genentech
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH094757, R01MH070880)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- virtual reality, anxiety disorders, mental illness, exposure therapy, virtual reality exposure therapy, immersive virtual reality, head-mounted displays, treatment effectiveness, psychiatric treatment
- MeSH terms
- Anxiety Disorders, Humans, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Treatment Outcome, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
