Virtual Reality (VR) for Stress Management

NCT06970652 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2023-0338-PHHP
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 70
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This is a randomized pilot trial that aims to examine the impact of smartphone-based Virtual Reality (VR) intervention, MindCo Relief, in reducing stress levels and perceived anxiety, depression, and quality of life among young adults.

Conditions

Stress; Resilience; Quality of Life; Depressive Symptoms; Anxiety; Sleep; Physical Activity

Keywords

virtual reality; young adults; stress; stress management

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Perceived Stress

  Measured by the perceived stress scale 10 Scoring ranges from 0 - 40, and a higher score represents a higher perceived stress. Cutoffs are 0-13 low stress, 14-26 moderate stress, 27-40 high stress

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Resilience

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Anxiety

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Depressive symptom

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Quality of Life

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Physical activity

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

MindCo Relief, a mobile VR-based stress management application

Device: virtual reality

Interventions

virtual reality DEVICE

Participants in the intervention group received access to the MR smartphone application and a smartphone-compatible VR headset, both developed by MindCo Health.32 The application contained a stress reduction program that comprised a structured sequence of 77 modules designed to be completed over the course of 8 weeks. Each module was designed to be completed in approximately 7 minutes, and each module needed to be completed before progressing to the next module. Forty modules used VR, and for these modules, participants placed their personal smartphones running the MR application in the VR headset, and the smartphone provided all audiovisual content. All other modules used smartphones without the VR headset.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 29 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Young adults ages 18-29
• Self-reporting moderate or high perceived stress (PSS-10 score 14 or above)
• able to participate in the trial within 2 weeks after signing informed consent
• have access to a smartphone
• accept to have a hair fragments table for hair cortisol level measurements

You may not qualify if:

• Participating in other stress reduction programs
• With photosensitive epilepsy for safety reasons.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• City University of New York, School of Public Health: lead
• MindCo Health: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

CUNY SPH

New York, New York, 10025, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression; Anxiety Disorders; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2025
• First Posted: May 14, 2025
• Study Start: October 12, 2023
• Primary Completion: May 21, 2024
• Study Completion: May 21, 2024
• Last Updated: June 12, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

US (1)