Scenario-Driven Virtual Reality Game for Dementia Education Program

Summary

•Terminology Clarification: In the previous study (NCT06629844), the term ' virtual reality (VR)' referred to a 360-degree video viewed through a VR headset. This format offered an immersive experience but was non-interactive. In contrast, the current study uses an 'ASA VR' intervention, which is a scenario-driven, interactive virtual reality simulation. Participants take part in role-playing with an artificial intelligence (AI) character representing a person living with dementia. This distinction is crucial for understanding the study design and results, as the cognitive and experiential demands of the two formats differ greatly.

•Brief Summary: This nested 2x2 factorial quasi-experimental design study focuses on Indonesian nursing students and aims to examine the effectiveness of scenario-driven virtual reality (VR) dementia educational programs. The study uses a four-arm design to evaluate different combinations of interventions.

The study addresses the following research questions:

What is the effect of a Scenario-Driven VR dementia education program on improving participants' attitude, knowledge, intention to help people living with dementia, ageist attitudes, and participant satisfaction with the Scenario-Driven VR dementia education program?

Participants will voluntarily join a 30-minute class education program, with each participant attending only once. The program, integrated into the faculty's dementia-related courses, will be structured around a series of components, including an introduction, Scenario-Driven VR, a post-program questionnaire, and a conclusion.

Conditions

• Dementia

Interventions

OTHER

VR-Experienced + ASA VR Group

Participants will attend a single 60-minute session consisting of five components: a 5-minute introduction to welcome participants and outline objectives, followed by a 10-minute study briefing in which the PI explains the study aims, participant roles, and emphasizes voluntary participation, confidentiality, and informed consent. The core 30-minute intervention involves a scenario-driven Virtual Reality Dementia Game where participants role-play interactions with an AI avatar simulating a person living with dementia. The structured storyline is designed to immerse learners in realistic care situations, directly supporting the learning objectives while fostering empathy, understanding, and positive attitudes toward dementia care. Immediately after, students complete a 10-minute post-program questionnaire (T4) to assess attitudinal and knowledge changes. The session concludes with a 5-minute closing that summarizes the activities.

OTHER

VR-Experienced + Standard Control Group

Participants in these arms will access dementia-related content through the university's existing e-learning platform as part of their regular curriculum. These groups will not receive a special intervention session from this study and will serve as control groups for the ASA VR program. All participant groups will complete the post-intervention (T4) questionnaires at designated times to measure the study's primary and secondary outcomes.

OTHER

VR-Unexposed + ASA VR Group

Participants will attend a single 60-minute session consisting of five components: a 5-minute introduction to welcome participants and outline objectives, followed by a 10-minute study briefing in which the PI explains the study aims, participant roles, and emphasizes voluntary participation, confidentiality, and informed consent. The core 30-minute intervention involves a scenario-driven Virtual Reality Dementia Game where participants role-play interactions with an AI avatar simulating a person living with dementia. The structured storyline is designed to immerse learners in realistic care situations, directly supporting the learning objectives while fostering empathy, understanding, and positive attitudes toward dementia care. Immediately after, students complete a 10-minute post-program questionnaire (T4) to assess attitudinal and knowledge changes. The session concludes with a 5-minute closing that summarizes the activities.

OTHER

VR-Unexposed + Standard Control Group

Participants in these arms will access dementia-related content through the university's existing e-learning platform as part of their regular curriculum. These groups will not receive a special intervention session from this study and will serve as control groups for the ASA VR program. All participant groups will complete the post-intervention (T4) questionnaires at designated times to measure the study's primary and secondary outcomes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Chiba University

  collaborator OTHER

• Tokyo University

  collaborator OTHER

• Universitas Airlangga

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-09-01

Primary Completion

2025-12-30

Completion

2026-06-30

Countries

• Indonesia

Study Locations