The feasibility of an immersive interactive virtual reality task for children and adolescents.

Abstract

The interest in using immersive Virtual Reality (hereafter referred to as VR) for clinical interventions in (mental) health care settings has been growing for adults, as well as adolescents and children. However, VR systems and evidence-based VR-software have not specifically been built for minors. To develop a potentially effective clinical VR intervention for children and adolescents, it is crucial to assess the motivation for and the feasibility of the VR software and the respective VR system first. This study assessed these aspects with regard to a self-developed interactive VR task that serves as a base for a clinical VR intervention in children and adolescents, using a Meta Quest 2 system. Feasibility was measured by assessing tolerability, usability, satisfaction, presence, and perceived realism. The relations between motivation and the different feasibility aspects were explored, and the associations between age, frequency of digital media use, and sex on the one hand and motivation and the five aspects of feasibility on the other were tested. A pre- and post-test design was implemented, using self-report questionnaires. 85 children aged 8–17 years participated (M_age = 10.55 years, SD_age = 2.06 years), of which 31 (36%) were girls and 54 (64%) were boys. The VR task was found to be highly motivating and overall feasible for this age group, whereby the motivation and the feasibility did not vary based on age, frequency of digital media use, or sex. The results of this study indicate that this task could be a feasible base for a VR mental health intervention for children and adolescents aged 8–17 years using a Meta Quest 2 system, regardless of their sex or frequency of digital media use.