Virtual Reality Intervention (VR-GINSO) for Reducing Aggression in Young Offenders

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to see if a specific intervention program that uses virtual reality (VR) helps young people reduce aggressive behavior more than the same program without VR or their usual treatment. The study will also look at how the program affects anger, impulsivity, emotional control, and how participants understand and handle conflicts with others.

The main questions the study wants to answer are:

* Does the intervention program with VR help young people reduce aggressive behavior more than the same program without VR or just their usual treatment?
* What changes in the mind and body are linked to improvements in aggressive behavior and emotional control?

The researchers will compare three groups of young people:

* Usual treatment plus the 4-session intervention program with VR.
* Usual treatment plus the 4-session intervention program without VR.
* Usual treatment only.

Participants will:

* Attend 4 individual sessions lasting 1 to 1.5 hours, once a week.
* Take part in activities to learn how to recognize emotions, understand conflict situations, and manage anger and impulsivity.
* Complete questionnaires about aggressive behavior, anger, impulsivity, emotional control, and how they interpret conflicts.
* Have their aggressive behavior recorded through disciplinary reports at the center.
* Provide saliva samples before and after sessions to measure hormones related to stress and aggression.
* Wear a chest band that measures heart rate and a headset that records brain activity during the VR activities.

All data will be kept confidential, and the identities of participants will be protected at all times.

Conditions

• Aggression

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Virtual Reality

This group will receive 4 individual behavioral therapy sessions on emotion recognition, hostile attribution bias, anger management, and social problem-solving. During these sessions, participants will train specific abilities through various activities. The activities are designed as a serious game in a virtual reality setting and include: emotion identification and recognition, practicing interpreting frustrating situations without assuming hostility, anger regulation in provocative situations, and decision-making in interpersonal conflict situations. In addition, there will be one session before the program to collect baseline data and one session after the program to collect post-intervention data. A follow-up session will take place 3 months after the post-intervention assessment.

BEHAVIORAL

Active Control

This group will receive the same intervention as the Virtual Reality group, but in a group format (4 participants per group). The training and activities will be conducted using video or paper materials and traditional psychological techniques such as imagination. There will be 4 group behavioral therapy sessions on emotion recognition, hostile attribution bias, anger management, and social problem-solving. During these sessions, participants will train specific abilities through various activities. The activities include: emotion identification and recognition, practicing interpreting frustrating situations without assuming hostility, anger regulation in provocative situations, and decision-making in interpersonal conflict situations. In addition, there will be one session before the program to collect baseline data and one session after the program to collect post-intervention data. A follow-up session will take place 3 months after the post-intervention assessment.

BEHAVIORAL

Treatment as usual

Participants in this group will receive treatment as usual provided by the facility, with no additional intervention. Treatment will be delivered over the same period of time as in the other study groups. Participants will complete one baseline assessment before the study period, one post-intervention assessment, and a follow-up assessment 3 months after the post-intervention evaluation.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Asociación GINSO

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• La Caixa Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• Universidad Francisco de Vitoria

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• David Roncero Villarreal, PhD · Universidad Francisco de Vitoria

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

12 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-12-15

Primary Completion

2026-07-31

Completion

2026-10-31

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations