Bin, Shiyi;
Alrashdi, Duaa H;
Whitehead, Tamara;
Riches, Simon;
Drini, Eugenia;
(2025)
Mental Health Professionals’ Attitudes Towards Virtual Reality Therapies: A Systematic Review.
Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science
10.1007/s41347-025-00499-x.
(In press).
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Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) therapies show promise in mental health treatment, yet their adoption in clinical practice remains limited. Understanding mental health professionals’ attitudes is crucial for successful implementation. A systematic search was conducted by the first author with support from a librarian in eight databases (PubMed [1966], PsycINFO [1967], Web of Science [1900], Scopus [1966], Medline [1946], Global Health [1973], Embase [1974], and PsycExtra [1908]), Google Scholar, and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses Global until May 9th 2024. Twenty studies (2010–2024) from Europe (n = 11), North America (n = 5), Oceania (n = 3), and Asia (n = 1), comprising 1300 mental health professionals, meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research. The methodological quality of the included studies was moderate to high, but some limitations in sampling strategies. Data were synthesized using narrative synthesis. Results indicated that while only 3% of mental health professionals reported using VR in clinical settings, they predominantly held positive attitudes towards VR therapies but identified numerous barriers. Key facilitators included VR’s accessibility, safety and controllability (the therapist’s ability to customize stimulus according to patients’ needs), and increased patient engagement. Key barriers encompassed technical limitations, high cost, treatment suitability concerns, potential side effects, workload, and time investment. The findings highlight the need for targeted training programs, improved technological infrastructure, and clearer guidelines to support VR therapies in mental health practice. Future research could focus on ways to address these limitations and using facilitators to enhance VR adoption.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Mental Health Professionals’ Attitudes Towards Virtual Reality Therapies: A Systematic Review |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s41347-025-00499-x |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-025-00499-x |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| Keywords: | VR, Clinicians, Digital therapeutics, Immersive technology, Psychotherapy, Healthcare |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry > Epidemiology and Applied Clinical Research |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10206010 |
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