Promoting prosocial behavior and well-being in adolescents through a gamified virtual reality intervention: A randomized controlled trial protocol

IF 4.1 2区医学 Q1 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES

Internet Interventions-The Application of Information Technology in Mental and Behavioural Health Pub Date : 2025-10-05 DOI:10.1016/j.invent.2025.100883

Bryant P.H. Hui , Tao Zhang , Jeffrey C.F. Ho , Sophie Kai Lam Cheng , Chen Li , Rosetta Wong , Sylvia Xiaohua Chen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Adolescent well-being is an urgent global concern. While engaging in prosocial behavior has been shown to enhance well-being, traditional interventions are often resource-intensive, contextually limited, and typically delivered in 2D formats. Virtual Reality (VR) offers a novel and immersive alternative by allowing adolescents to experience lifelike social scenarios and practice prosocial behaviors across diverse, everyday contexts.

Objective

This protocol outlines a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a gamified VR-based prosocial intervention, Cradle for Kids, among adolescents.

Methods

A total of 396 adolescents aged 10 to 16 will be randomly assigned to one of the three groups: a five-week VR-based intervention, a video-based intervention, or a waitlist control group. Prosocial behaviors and well-being will be assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at a one-month follow-up, with parents also completing proxy reports of participants' well-being at baseline and post-intervention. Daily diary assessments will also be collected throughout the intervention period. Feasibility and acceptability will be examined via completion rate, retention rate, and participant satisfaction. Data will be analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and multilevel modeling.

Discussion

To our knowledge, this will be the first trial to evaluate a gamified VR intervention designed to promote prosocial behavior and well-being in adolescents. Theoretically, it will contribute empirical evidence on the potential of immersive VR-based interventions to enhance well-being through prosocial engagement. Practically, if found effective, the program may offer a scalable and resource-efficient tool for schools and community organizations seeking to foster prosocial development in youth.

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通过游戏化虚拟现实干预促进青少年的亲社会行为和幸福感：一项随机对照试验方案

青少年福祉是一个紧迫的全球问题。虽然参与亲社会行为已被证明可以提高幸福感，但传统的干预措施往往是资源密集型的，背景有限，并且通常以2D格式提供。虚拟现实（VR）提供了一种新颖的沉浸式替代方案，允许青少年体验逼真的社交场景，并在各种日常环境中实践亲社会行为。目的：本协议概述了一项随机对照试验，以评估基于游戏化vr的亲社会干预——儿童摇篮——在青少年中的可行性、可接受性和初步有效性。方法共有396名10至16岁的青少年将被随机分配到三组中的一组：为期五周的基于vr的干预，基于视频的干预或等待名单对照组。亲社会行为和幸福感将在基线，干预后立即进行评估，并在一个月的随访中进行评估，父母也要完成参与者基线和干预后幸福感的代理报告。在整个干预期间，还将收集每日日记评估。可行性和可接受性将通过完成率、保留率和参与者满意度进行检查。数据将使用重复测量方差分析和多水平建模进行分析。据我们所知，这将是第一个评估游戏化虚拟现实干预的试验，旨在促进青少年的亲社会行为和福祉。从理论上讲，它将为基于沉浸式虚拟现实的干预措施通过亲社会参与提高福祉的潜力提供经验证据。实际上，如果发现有效，该项目可以为学校和社区组织提供一个可扩展和资源高效的工具，以促进青少年的亲社会发展。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Internet Interventions-The Application of Information Technology in Mental and Behavioural Health Medicine-Health Informatics

CiteScore

6.50

自引率

9.30%

发文量

审稿时长

6 weeks

期刊介绍： Official Journal of the European Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ESRII) and the International Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ISRII). The aim of Internet Interventions is to publish scientific, peer-reviewed, high-impact research on Internet interventions and related areas. Internet Interventions welcomes papers on the following subjects: • Intervention studies targeting the promotion of mental health and featuring the Internet and/or technologies using the Internet as an underlying technology, e.g. computers, smartphone devices, tablets, sensors • Implementation and dissemination of Internet interventions • Integration of Internet interventions into existing systems of care • Descriptions of development and deployment infrastructures • Internet intervention methodology and theory papers • Internet-based epidemiology • Descriptions of new Internet-based technologies and experiments with clinical applications • Economics of internet interventions (cost-effectiveness) • Health care policy and Internet interventions • The role of culture in Internet intervention • Internet psychometrics • Ethical issues pertaining to Internet interventions and measurements • Human-computer interaction and usability research with clinical implications • Systematic reviews and meta-analysis on Internet interventions