Fully Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Cognitive Remediation for Adults with Psychosocial Disabilities: A Systematic Scoping Review of Methods Intervention Gaps and Meta-Analysis of Published Effectiveness Studies

Alessandra Perra (), Chiara Laura Riccardo, Valerio De Lorenzo, Erika De Marco, Lorenzo Di Natale, Peter Konstantin Kurotschka, Antonio Preti and Mauro Giovanni Carta
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Alessandra Perra: International PhD in Innovation Sciences and Technologies, Department of Mechanical Chemistry and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
Chiara Laura Riccardo: Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
Valerio De Lorenzo: PRoMIND Services for Mental Health, 00133 Rome, Italy
Erika De Marco: Azienda Sociosanitaria Ligure 2, Dipartimento di Salute Mentale e delle Dipendenze, 17100 Savona, Italy
Lorenzo Di Natale: IDEGO Digital Psychology Society, 00133 Rome, Italy
Peter Konstantin Kurotschka: Department of General Practice, University Hospital Wuerzburg, D-97080 Wuerzburg, Germany
Antonio Preti: Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
Mauro Giovanni Carta: Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: Background: Cognitive Remediation (CR) programs are effective for the treatment of mental diseases; in recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) rehabilitation tools are increasingly used. This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the published randomized controlled trials that used fully immersive VR tools for CR programs in psychiatric rehabilitation. We also wanted to map currently published CR/VR interventions, their methods components, and their evidence base, including the framework of the development intervention of CR in fully immersive VR. Methods: Level 1 of evidence. This study followed the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews and Systematic Review. Three electronic databases (Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase) were systematically searched, and studies were included if they met the eligibility criteria: only randomized clinical trials, only studies with fully immersive VR, and only CR for the adult population with mental disorders. Results: We found 4905 (database) plus 7 (manual/citation searching articles) eligible studies. According to inclusion criteria, 11 studies were finally reviewed. Of these, nine included patients with mild cognitive impairment, one with schizophrenia, and one with mild dementia. Most studies used an ecological scenario, with improvement across all cognitive domains. Although eight studies showed significant efficacy of CR/VR, the interventions’ development was poorly described, and few details were given on the interventions’ components. Conclusions: Although CR/VR seems to be effective in clinical and feasibility outcomes, the interventions and their components are not clearly described. This limits the understanding of the effectiveness and undermines their real-world implementation and the establishment of a gold standard for fully immersive VR/CR.

Keywords: virtual reality; cognitive remediation; mental health; recovery; psychiatric rehabilitation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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