Virtual Reality Intervention (VR-GINSO) for Reducing Aggression in Young Offenders

NCT07484919 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: UFV48/2024
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 110
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to see if a specific intervention program that uses virtual reality (VR) helps young people reduce aggressive behavior more than the same program without VR or their usual treatment. The study will also look at how the program affects anger, impulsivity, emotional control, and how participants understand and handle conflicts with others. The main questions the study wants to answer are:

• Does the intervention program with VR help young people reduce aggressive behavior more than the same program without VR or just their usual treatment?
• What changes in the mind and body are linked to improvements in aggressive behavior and emotional control? The researchers will compare three groups of young people:
• Usual treatment plus the 4-session intervention program with VR.
• Usual treatment plus the 4-session intervention program without VR.
• Usual treatment only. Participants will:
• Attend 4 individual sessions lasting 1 to 1.5 hours, once a week.
• Take part in activities to learn how to recognize emotions, understand conflict situations, and manage anger and impulsivity.
• Complete questionnaires about aggressive behavior, anger, impulsivity, emotional control, and how they interpret conflicts.
• Have their aggressive behavior recorded through disciplinary reports at the center.
• Provide saliva samples before and after sessions to measure hormones related to stress and aggression.
• Wear a chest band that measures heart rate and a headset that records brain activity during the VR activities. All data will be kept confidential, and the identities of participants will be protected at all times.

Conditions

Aggression

Keywords

youth violence; virtual reality; juvenile offenders

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Overall aggression measured with the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ)

  The Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) is a 29-item self-report instrument assessing aggression. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1-5). Total scores range from 29 to 145, with higher scores indicating higher levels of aggression. The questionnaire includes four subscales: physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility.

  Baseline, post-intervention (4 weeks), and 3-month follow-up

• Proactive aggression measured with the Reactive-Proactive Questionnaire (RPQ)

  The proactive aggression subscale consists of 12 items rated on a 3-point scale (0-2), with scores ranging from 0 to 24. Higher scores indicate higher levels of proactive aggression.

  Baseline, post-intervention (4 weeks), and 3-month follow-up

• Reactive aggression measured with the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ)

  The reactive aggression subscale consists of 11 items rated on a 3-point scale (0-2), with scores ranging from 0 to 22. Higher scores indicate higher levels of reactive aggression.

  Baseline, post-intervention (4 weeks), and 3-month follow-up

• Observed aggressive behavior recorded through disciplinary incidents in residential centers

  Aggressive behavior will be assessed using institutional disciplinary records documented by educators in the residential centers where participants reside. The outcome will be calculated as the mean number of disciplinary incidents involving aggressive behavior per week. Incidents are recorded as part of the routine disciplinary procedures of the centers. The average weekly number of incidents will be examined across three time periods: three months before the intervention (baseline), during the intervention, and three months after the intervention.

  Baseline (3 months prior to intervention), during the intervention (up to 4 weeks), and post-intervention (up to 3 months after intervention)

Secondary Outcomes (18)

• Trait anger measured with the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2)

  Baseline (pre-intervention), post-intervention (4 weeks), and 3-month follow-up

• Anger expression and control measured with the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2)

  Baseline (pre-intervention), post-intervention (4 weeks), and 3-month follow-up

• State anger measured with the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2)

  Baseline (pre-intervention), post-intervention (4 weeks), and 3-month follow-up

• Hostile attribution bias measured with the Social Information Processing-Attribution and Emotional Response Questionnaire (SIP-AEQ)

  Baseline (pre-intervention), post-intervention (4 weeks), and 3-month follow-up

• Emotion regulation difficulties measured with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form (DERS-28)

  Baseline (pre-intervention), post-intervention (4 weeks), and 3-month follow-up

Study Arms (3)

Treatment as Usual + Virtual Reality Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive treatment as usual plus a 4-session program using virtual reality (VR). This arm is different from the others because it includes VR to practice recognizing emotions, managing anger, and resolving conflicts in a simulated environment.

Behavioral: Virtual Reality

Treatment as Usual + Non-VR Intervention

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants receive treatment as usual plus the same 4-session program without virtual reality. This arm allows comparison of the program's effects without using VR technology.

Behavioral: Active Control

Treatment as usual Only

OTHER

Participants receive only treatment as usual provided at the juvenile center. This arm serves as a reference to evaluate the additional effects of the intervention program with or without virtual reality.

Behavioral: Treatment as usual

Interventions

Virtual Reality BEHAVIORAL

This group will receive 4 individual behavioral therapy sessions on emotion recognition, hostile attribution bias, anger management, and social problem-solving. During these sessions, participants will train specific abilities through various activities. The activities are designed as a serious game in a virtual reality setting and include: emotion identification and recognition, practicing interpreting frustrating situations without assuming hostility, anger regulation in provocative situations, and decision-making in interpersonal conflict situations. In addition, there will be one session before the program to collect baseline data and one session after the program to collect post-intervention data. A follow-up session will take place 3 months after the post-intervention assessment.

Treatment as Usual + Virtual Reality Intervention

Active Control BEHAVIORAL

This group will receive the same intervention as the Virtual Reality group, but in a group format (4 participants per group). The training and activities will be conducted using video or paper materials and traditional psychological techniques such as imagination. There will be 4 group behavioral therapy sessions on emotion recognition, hostile attribution bias, anger management, and social problem-solving. During these sessions, participants will train specific abilities through various activities. The activities include: emotion identification and recognition, practicing interpreting frustrating situations without assuming hostility, anger regulation in provocative situations, and decision-making in interpersonal conflict situations. In addition, there will be one session before the program to collect baseline data and one session after the program to collect post-intervention data. A follow-up session will take place 3 months after the post-intervention assessment.

Treatment as Usual + Non-VR Intervention

Treatment as usual BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this group will receive treatment as usual provided by the facility, with no additional intervention. Treatment will be delivered over the same period of time as in the other study groups. Participants will complete one baseline assessment before the study period, one post-intervention assessment, and a follow-up assessment 3 months after the post-intervention evaluation.

Treatment as usual Only

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• years old at the moment of recruitment and allocation.
• Minimum facility stay of 6 months since the begining of the study.
• Documented records of recent aggresive behavior.

You may not qualify if:

• Neurological disorder, brain injury, or psyquiatric pathology that affects cognitive functions or advises against use of virtual reality.
• Not being fluent in Spanish.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad Francisco de Vitoria: lead
• Asociación GINSO: collaborator
• La Caixa Foundation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Universidad Francisco de Vitoria

Pozuelo de Alarcón, Cominity of Madrid, 28223, Spain

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

• Roncero, D., Moreno-Fernandez, R. D., & Fernandez-Moreno, A. (2025). Effectiveness of Virtual Reality interventions for aggression, anger and impulsiveness: A multilevel meta-analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 102034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2025.102034

  BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Link to the funding association

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Aggression

Interventions

Therapeutics

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Aberrant Motor Behavior in Dementia; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Social Behavior

Study Officials

• David Roncero Villarreal, PhD

  Universidad Francisco de Vitoria

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

David Roncero Villarreal, PhD

CONTACT

+34 657518370; david.roncero@ufv.es

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 9, 2026
• First Posted: March 20, 2026
• Study Start: December 15, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Last Updated: March 20, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

ES (1)