A Proof-of-Concept study: the personalized creation of immersive virtual environments to promote emotional well-being in older adults
NCT ID NCT07809581
First seen Sep 09, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026
Summary
Background: Virtual Reality (VR) technology has seen a growing adoption in clinical and healthcare settings. VR applications are both effective and acceptable, with a great potential for populations with mobility restrictions, such as older adults receiving home-based care or in long-term care facilities. However, creating head-mounted display virtual reality (HMD-VR) environments still faces considerable challenges. Aim: The aim is to create three HMD-VR environments and to carry out a proof of concept to verify their impact on older adults. Methods: This research uses mixed methodology to design three immersive environments with human-centred design and verify its impact with a study sample consisting of 31 people; 18 women and 13 men, of whom 16 were over 89 years old, 11 were between 79 and 89 years old, and 4 people were between 66 and 77 years old. Each participant viewed the three virtual reality environments and answered the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) scale, the Slater-Usoh-Steed (SUS) Presence Questionnaire, and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ).
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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31 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2023
- Finished
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Apr 2024
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
This study was conducted in two phases. Phase I aimed to identify the characteristics of VR environments most closely associated with emotional well-being in adults requiring support with daily activities. Phase II was a proof-of-concept study with three aims: to examine short-term affective changes following exposure to the developed VR environments, to assess perceived presence, and to evaluate adverse VR sickness symptoms in older adults with support needs.
- Ages
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18 minutes and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Gender (preference for equality between men and women). * Users of the Home Care Service (SAD) and elderly people from the five residential centres. * Age (first phase over 18 years old and second phase over 65 years old). * Participation in this study was completely voluntary, and all participants signed an informed consent form before taking part in the research. Exclusion Criteria: * People who suffer from any anomaly in binocular or auditory vision. * People with physical or mental disabilities, or pre-existing psychiatric disorders, with serious medical conditions. * People who suffer from any cardiovascular disease are susceptible to being affected by HMD-VR technology. * People who suffer from symptoms related to epilepsy. * People who have any electronic device, such as a cardiac pacemaker or other implanted medical device susceptible to being altered by HMD-VR technology.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVIC-UCC)
Vic, Barcelona, 08500, Spain