Co-Designing a Virtual Reality Intervention to Enhance Skill Development

Summary

This study is refining and pilot testing a novel Virtual Reality (VR) supplement for inpatient treatment: the Practice Experiences for School Reintegration (PrESR) program. The PrESR provides immersive school and social experiences for inpatient adolescents (with suicidal-related admissions) to practice skills in real-world settings with the guidance of a trained clinician within the confines of a hospital. The initial intervention was based on feedback from adolescent hospitalized for suicide-related crises, and school and hospital professionals, but did not provide tailored experiences to address the individual needs of ethnic-racial, gender, and sexual minoritized adolescents. Therefore, the VR environment of PrESR was adapted based on input from adolescents with previous suicide-related crises identifying as ethnic, racial, sex, or gender minoritized. This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and facilitators/barriers to implementation of the adapted version of PrESR for improving outcomes in hospitalized adolescents. This study is not powered to test hypotheses; however, in addition to assessing feasibility, acceptability, and barriers/facilitators, this pilot trial will assess candidate intermediary and outcome measures.

Conditions

• Suicide

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Worksheets

The researchers will provide instructions for participants to complete a packet of worksheets teaching introduction to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), affect regulation, cognitive restructuring, and problem solving.

BEHAVIORAL

Practice Experiences for School Reintegration (PrESR)

Participants will receive an overview of cognitive behavioral therapy skills in virtual reality (VR) and then have the opportunity to practice using skills in a brief immersive experience designed to mimic difficult school and social experiences. Session begin with goal setting and conclude with a debrief summary following the VR experience. Prior to discharge and following the conclusion of the VR sessions, participants will be invited to collaborate on a safety planning intervention informed by their experiences in VR that addresses school and social experiences.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• MQ Mental Health Research

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Marisa Marraccini, PhD · University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

13 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-10-13

Primary Completion

2026-10-30

Completion

2026-10-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations