A new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits: an assessment of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Impact VR
IntroductionConduct disorder (CD) is highly prevalent among youth, yet existing and conventional treatment approaches are limited and costly. Further, most interventions for CD focus on behavior management rather than targeting the underlying mechanisms of CD. To meet the needs of youth with CD (age...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| author | Nicholas D. Thomson Nicholas D. Thomson Nicholas D. Thomson Salpi S. Kevorkian Salpi S. Kevorkian Laura Hazlett Robert Perera Scott Vrana Scott Vrana |
| author_facet | Nicholas D. Thomson Nicholas D. Thomson Nicholas D. Thomson Salpi S. Kevorkian Salpi S. Kevorkian Laura Hazlett Robert Perera Scott Vrana Scott Vrana |
| author_sort | Nicholas D. Thomson |
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| description | IntroductionConduct disorder (CD) is highly prevalent among youth, yet existing and conventional treatment approaches are limited and costly. Further, most interventions for CD focus on behavior management rather than targeting the underlying mechanisms of CD. To meet the needs of youth with CD (ages 10-17), we developed Impact VR, a virtual reality intervention that promotes competency in emotion recognition and regulation, as well as modeling prosocial behaviors. Impact VR provides immersive storylines and gamification of psychoeducation training. The present study aimed to understand the perceptions of Impact VR for acceptability, feasibility, and usability across key stakeholder groups, including youth with CD, caregivers of youth with CD, mental health practitioners, and educators.MethodsA total of 60 adults, including mental health professionals (n=20), teachers (n=20), caregivers (n=20), and 20 youth with CD completed a trial of Impact VR and completed surveys.ResultsResults demonstrated a high overall acceptability of Impact VR (95% - 100%) across all groups, and a high approval rating for intervention appropriateness (98.75% - 100%) and feasibility of the intervention (97.50% - 100%) across stakeholder groups. The majority of youth (90%-100%) reported that the skills learned would improve their mental health and relationships with friends, parents, and teachers.DiscussionFindings revealed that youth with CD and key stakeholder groups rate Impact VR favorably and positively. Future research is needed on the effectiveness of Impact VR in improving emotion recognition and reducing CD symptoms. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b1da0cbc54854fd3b001084fee94ecc9 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-b1da0cbc54854fd3b001084fee94ecc92025-08-20T02:55:39ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-05-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.14849381484938A new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits: an assessment of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Impact VRNicholas D. Thomson0Nicholas D. Thomson1Nicholas D. Thomson2Salpi S. Kevorkian3Salpi S. Kevorkian4Laura Hazlett5Robert Perera6Scott Vrana7Scott Vrana8Arche VR LLC, Glen Allen, VA, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United StatesArche VR LLC, Glen Allen, VA, United StatesDepartment of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United StatesDepartment of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United StatesDepartment of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United StatesArche VR LLC, Glen Allen, VA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United StatesIntroductionConduct disorder (CD) is highly prevalent among youth, yet existing and conventional treatment approaches are limited and costly. Further, most interventions for CD focus on behavior management rather than targeting the underlying mechanisms of CD. To meet the needs of youth with CD (ages 10-17), we developed Impact VR, a virtual reality intervention that promotes competency in emotion recognition and regulation, as well as modeling prosocial behaviors. Impact VR provides immersive storylines and gamification of psychoeducation training. The present study aimed to understand the perceptions of Impact VR for acceptability, feasibility, and usability across key stakeholder groups, including youth with CD, caregivers of youth with CD, mental health practitioners, and educators.MethodsA total of 60 adults, including mental health professionals (n=20), teachers (n=20), caregivers (n=20), and 20 youth with CD completed a trial of Impact VR and completed surveys.ResultsResults demonstrated a high overall acceptability of Impact VR (95% - 100%) across all groups, and a high approval rating for intervention appropriateness (98.75% - 100%) and feasibility of the intervention (97.50% - 100%) across stakeholder groups. The majority of youth (90%-100%) reported that the skills learned would improve their mental health and relationships with friends, parents, and teachers.DiscussionFindings revealed that youth with CD and key stakeholder groups rate Impact VR favorably and positively. Future research is needed on the effectiveness of Impact VR in improving emotion recognition and reducing CD symptoms.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1484938/fullvirtual realityconduct disorderemotionstreatmentcallous unemotional traitsmental health interventions |
| spellingShingle | Nicholas D. Thomson Nicholas D. Thomson Nicholas D. Thomson Salpi S. Kevorkian Salpi S. Kevorkian Laura Hazlett Robert Perera Scott Vrana Scott Vrana A new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits: an assessment of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Impact VR Frontiers in Psychiatry virtual reality conduct disorder emotions treatment callous unemotional traits mental health interventions |
| title | A new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits: an assessment of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Impact VR |
| title_full | A new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits: an assessment of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Impact VR |
| title_fullStr | A new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits: an assessment of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Impact VR |
| title_full_unstemmed | A new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits: an assessment of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Impact VR |
| title_short | A new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits: an assessment of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of Impact VR |
| title_sort | new treatment approach to conduct disorder and callous unemotional traits an assessment of the acceptability appropriateness and feasibility of impact vr |
| topic | virtual reality conduct disorder emotions treatment callous unemotional traits mental health interventions |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1484938/full |
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