An Automated Virtual Reality Cognitive-Behavioural Preventive Intervention for Adults with Agoraphobic Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Adapted gameChange in Hong Kong.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Agoraphobic avoidance, fear of situations that seem hard to escape, is common across mental disorders and often remains untreated due to stigma and limited service access. Automated virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy offers a scalable alternative by enabling safe, guided simulations of feared situations. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of a culturally adapted version of gameChange VR for reducing agoraphobic avoidance among adults in Hong Kong without psychiatric diagnoses.

Methods

272 participants were randomly assigned to either a three-session VR intervention (n = 146) or a waitlist control condition (n = 126). Assessments were conducted at baseline, 3-week, and 1-month follow-ups. Compared to the control condition, participants in

SUBMITTER: Chan ATY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12707874 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature