Abstract
Background: People with a psychotic disorder commonly experience problems in social cognition and functioning. Social cognition training (SCT) improves social cognition, but may inadequately simulate real-life social interactions. Virtual reality (VR) provides a realistic, interactive, customizable, and controllable training environment, which could facilitate the application of skills in daily life.
Objective: We developed a 16-session immersive VR SCT (Dynamic Interactive Social Cognition Training in Virtual Reality [DiSCoVR]) and conducted a single-group feasibility pilot study.
Methods: A total of 22 people with a psychotic disorder and reported problems in social cognition participated. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed using a survey for participants and therapists, and by examining relevant parameters (eg, dropouts). We analyzed preliminary treatment effects on social cognition, neurocognition, and psychiatric symptoms.
Results: A total of 17 participants completed the study. Participants enjoyed DiSCoVR (mean 7.25, SD 2.05; range 3-10), thought it was useful for daily social activities (mean 7.00, SD 2.05; range 3-10), and enjoyed the combination of VR and a therapist (mean 7.85, SD 2.11; range 3-10). The most frequently mentioned strength of DiSCoVR was the opportunity to practice with personalized social situations (14/20, 70%). A significant improvement of emotion perception was observed (Ekman 60 Faces; t(16 )=-4.79, P
Conclusions: DiSCoVR was feasible and acceptable to participants and therapists, and may improve emotion perception.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 17808 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | JMIR mental health |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 7-Aug-2020 |
Keywords
- social cognition
- virtual reality
- psychotic disorder
- cognitive remediation therapy
- emotion perception
- theory of mind
- social cognition training
- CONTROLLED-TRIAL
- SCHIZOPHRENIA
- REMEDIATION
- RECOGNITION
- VALIDATION
- CHILDREN
- DEFICITS
- THERAPY
- PROGRAM