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Anxiety and stress pose significant mental health challenges in modern society, with traditional exposure therapy showing limitations, necessitating the quest for more effective interventions. Virtual reality (VR) technology has emerged as a promising tool for anxiety and stress management. This systematic review examines VR's application in anxiety and stress management from 2000 to 2023, drawing from three electronic databases: IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and ScienceDirect. The review highlights VR's potential in anxiety and stress management, particularly through virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), relaxation training (RT), and virtual‐reality‐based cognitive behavioral therapy (VR‐CBT). These approaches have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing anxiety levels and improving relaxation skills. Despite its promise, VR's application faces challenges such as high technical costs, device convenience, validation of long‐term effects, and personalized treatment plans. Further research is needed to assess VR therapy's long‐term effects and application value comprehensively. Future directions for VR in anxiety and stress management include the development of more intelligent and personalized treatment plans, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Large‐scale clinical trials and long‐term follow‐up studies are essential to validate VR technology's efficacy and support its widespread application in mental health care.
Zheng et al. (Mon,) studied this question.