Dataset Information

Harnessing Immersive Virtual Reality: A Comprehensive Scoping Review of its Applications in Assessing, Understanding, and Treating Eating Disorders.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) has shown promise in the assessment, understanding, and treatment of eating disorders (EDs), providing a dynamic platform for clinical innovation. This scoping review aims to synthesize the recent advancements and applications of IVR in addressing these complex psychological disorders.

Methods

This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Protocols, focusing on studies published in the past five years. It included peer-reviewed papers that used IVR for ED assessment, examination, or treatment. A comprehensive database search provided a selection of relevant articles, which were then methodically screened and analyzed.

Results

Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria, with a primary focus on Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), and Binge Eating Disorder (BED). The application of IVR was categorized into three areas: assessment, understanding, and treatment. IVR was found to be an effective tool in assessing body image distortions and emotional responses to food, providing insights that are less accessible through traditional methods. Furthermore, IVR offers innovative treatment approaches by facilitating exposure therapy, modifying body-related biases, and enabling emotional regulation through embodied experiences. The studies demonstrate IVR's potential to improve body image accuracy, reduce food-related anxieties, and support behavioral changes in ED patients.

Conclusion

IVR stands out as a transformative technology in the field of EDs, offering comprehensive benefits across diagnostic, therapeutic, and experiential domains. The IVR's ability to simulate the brain's predictive coding mechanisms provides a powerful avenue for delivering embodied, experiential interventions that can help recalibrate distorted body representations and dysfunctional affective predictive models implicated in EDs. Future research should continue to refine these applications, ensuring consistent methodologies and wider clinical trials to fully harness IVR's potential in clinical settings.

SUBMITTER: Di Natale AF

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11344702 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Harnessing Immersive Virtual Reality: A Comprehensive Scoping Review of its Applications in Assessing, Understanding, and Treating Eating Disorders.

Di Natale Anna Flavia AF Pizzoli Silvia Francesca Maria SFM Brizzi Giulia G Di Lernia Daniele D Frisone Fabio F Gaggioli Andrea A Rabarbari Elisa E Oasi Osmano O Repetto Claudia C Rossi Chiara C Scerrati Elisa E Villani Daniela D Riva Giuseppe G

Current psychiatry reports 20240731 9

<h4>Background</h4>Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) has shown promise in the assessment, understanding, and treatment of eating disorders (EDs), providing a dynamic platform for clinical innovation. This scoping review aims to synthesize the recent advancements and applications of IVR in addressing these complex psychological disorders.<h4>Methods</h4>This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Protocols, focusing on studies published in the past fi ...[more]

PMID: 39083129

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Project description:BackgroundNeuropsychological assessments traditionally include tests of executive functioning (EF) because of its critical role in daily activities and link to mental disorders. Established traditional EF assessments, although robust, lack ecological validity and are limited to single cognitive processes. These methods, which are suitable for clinical populations, are less informative regarding EF in healthy individuals. With these limitations in mind, immersive virtual reality (VR)-based assessments of EF have garnered interest because of their potential to increase test sensitivity, ecological validity, and neuropsychological assessment accessibility.ObjectiveThis systematic review aims to explore the literature on immersive VR assessments of EF focusing on (1) EF components being assessed, (2) how these assessments are validated, and (3) strategies for monitoring potential adverse (cybersickness) and beneficial (immersion) effects.MethodsEBSCOhost, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched in July 2022 using keywords that reflected the main themes of VR, neuropsychological tests, and EF. Articles had to be peer-reviewed manuscripts written in English and published after 2013 that detailed empirical, clinical, or proof-of-concept studies in which a virtual environment using a head-mounted display was used to assess EF in an adult population. A tabular synthesis method was used in which validation details from each study, including comparative assessments and scores, were systematically organized in a table. The results were summed and qualitatively analyzed to provide a comprehensive overview of the findings.ResultsThe search retrieved 555 unique articles, of which 19 (3.4%) met the inclusion criteria. The reviewed studies encompassed EF and associated higher-order cognitive functions such as inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, working memory, planning, and attention. VR assessments commonly underwent validation against gold-standard traditional tasks. However, discrepancies were observed, with some studies lacking reported a priori planned correlations, omitting detailed descriptions of the EF constructs evaluated using the VR paradigms, and frequently reporting incomplete results. Notably, only 4 of the 19 (21%) studies evaluated cybersickness, and 5 of the 19 (26%) studies included user experience assessments.ConclusionsAlthough it acknowledges the potential of VR paradigms for assessing EF, the evidence has limitations. The methodological and psychometric properties of the included studies were inconsistently addressed, raising concerns about their validity and reliability. Infrequent monitoring of adverse effects such as cybersickness and considerable variability in sample sizes may limit interpretation and hinder psychometric evaluation. Several recommendations are proposed to improve the theory and practice of immersive VR assessments of EF. Future studies should explore the integration of biosensors with VR systems and the capabilities of VR in the context of spatial navigation assessments. Despite considerable promise, the systematic and validated implementation of VR assessments is essential for ensuring their practical utility in real-world applications.

Project description:BackgroundAnorexia nervosa is one of the more severe eating disorders, which is characterized by reduced food intake, leading to emaciation and psychological maladjustment. Treatment outcomes are often discouraging, with most interventions displaying a recovery rate below 50%, a dropout rate from 20% to 50%, and a high risk of relapse. Patients with anorexia nervosa often display anxiety and aversive behaviors toward food. Virtual reality has been successful in treating vertigo, anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress syndrome, and could potentially be used as an aid in treating eating disorders.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and usability of an immersive virtual reality technology administered through an app for use by patients with eating disorders.MethodsTwenty-six participants, including 19 eating disorder clinic personnel and 5 information technology personnel, were recruited through emails and personal invitations. Participants handled virtual food and utensils on an app using immersive virtual reality technology comprising a headset and two hand controllers. In the app, the participants learned about the available actions through a tutorial and they were introduced to a food challenge. The challenge consisted of a meal type (meatballs, potatoes, sauce, and lingonberries) that is typically difficult for patients with anorexia nervosa to eat in real life. Participants were instructed, via visual feedback from the app, to eat at a healthy rate, which is also a challenge for patients. Participants rated the feasibility and usability of the app by responding to the mHealth Evidence Reporting and Assessment checklist, the 10-item System Usability Scale, and the 20-point heuristic evaluation questionnaire. A cognitive walkthrough was performed using video recordings of participant interactions in the virtual environment.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 37.9 (SD 9.7) years. Half of the participants had previous experience with virtual reality. Answers to the mHealth Evidence Reporting and Assessment checklist suggested that implementation of the app would face minor infrastructural, technological, interoperability, financial, and adoption problems. There was some disagreement on intervention delivery, specifically regarding frequency of use; however, most of the participants agreed that the app should be used at least once per week. The app received a mean score of 73.4 (range 55-90), earning an overall "good" rating. The mean score of single items of the heuristic evaluation questionnaire was 3.6 out of 5. The lowest score (2.6) was given to the "accuracy" item. During the cognitive walkthrough, 32% of the participants displayed difficulty in understanding what to do at the initial selection screen. However, after passing the selection screen, all participants understood how to progress through the tasks.ConclusionsParticipants found the app to be usable and eating disorder personnel were positive regarding its fit with current treatment methods. Along with the food item challenges in the current app, participants considered that the app requires improvement to offer environmental and social (eg, crowded room vs eating alone) challenges.

Project description:BackgroundThe increasing number of older adults with mental, behavioral, and memory challenges presents significant public health concerns. Reminiscence is one type of nonpharmacological intervention that can effectively evoke memories, stimulate mental activities, and improve psychological well-being in older adults through a series of discussions on previous experiences. Fully immersive virtual reality (FIVR) may be a useful tool for reminiscence interventions because it uses realistic virtual environments connected to a person's significant past stories.ObjectiveThis review aims to examine empirical evidence regarding the application of FIVR in reminiscence interventions, its usability and acceptability, and its effectiveness in assisting the intervention to achieve optimal outcomes.MethodsWe followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach for scoping reviews. The PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, ACM, and IEEE Xplore electronic databases were used for the search. We included peer-reviewed studies that used FIVR as an assistive tool for reminiscence interventions; were published between January 1, 2000, and August 1, 2022; reported empirical research; involved older adults as participants; and addressed health- and behavior-related outcomes or the feasibility and usability of FIVR. We used Endnote X9 to organize the search results and Microsoft Excel for data extraction and synthesis.ResultsOf the 806 articles collected from the databases and other resources, 11 were identified. Most of the studies involved participants aged between 70 and 90 years. Only 1 study did not involve those with cognitive impairments, whereas 3 specifically targeted people living with dementia. The results indicated that FIVR reminiscence interventions enhanced engagement and reduced fatigue. Although some studies have observed positive effects on anxiety, apathy, depression, cognitive functions, and caregiver burden reduction, these findings were inconsistent across other research. In addition, FIVR showed overall usability and acceptability with manageable side effects among older adults across various health conditions during reminiscence sessions. However, 1 study reported adverse feelings among participants, triggered by unpleasant memories evoked by the virtual reality content.ConclusionsThe role of FIVR in reminiscence interventions remains nascent, with limited studies evaluating its impacts on older adults. Many of the reviewed studies had notable limitations: small sample sizes, absence of rigorous research design, limited assessment of long-term effects, lack of measures for health and behavior outcomes, and quality of life. Beyond these limitations, this review identified a list of future research directions in 6 categories. On the basis of the review findings, we provide practical recommendations to enhance FIVR reminiscence interventions, covering topics such as virtual reality content, device choice, intervention types, and the role and responsibility of facilitators.

Dataset Information

Harnessing Immersive Virtual Reality: A Comprehensive Scoping Review of its Applications in Assessing, Understanding, and Treating Eating Disorders.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Harnessing Immersive Virtual Reality: A Comprehensive Scoping Review of its Applications in Assessing, Understanding, and Treating Eating Disorders.

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