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August 13, 2026JMIR Research ProtocolsOpen Access

Therapist-Facilitated Virtual Reality Intervention for Social Anxiety Among Youth: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

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Authors

YWYizhou WangMHMing Tak HueKLKung Wong Lau

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Overview

Randomized trial tests a VR intervention for social anxiety in youth, suggesting a new approach for treatment.

Key Points

  • This trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a therapist-facilitated virtual reality program in reducing social anxiety symptoms among youth aged 15 to 25.
  • Participants aged 15 to 25 with Social Phobia Inventory scores of 25 or higher will be randomly assigned to a VR intervention group or a waitlist control group.
  • The VR intervention consists of 6 sessions focused on realistic social scenarios and includes real-time physiological monitoring and AI support.
  • Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 1 month post-intervention, and 3 months later using the Social Phobia Inventory and Patient Health Questionnaire-9.
  • A total of 90 participants will be recruited, with 45 in each group.
  • Data collection is expected to continue until the sample size is achieved, with primary findings anticipated by late 2027.
  • Outcome analyses will apply a linear mixed effects model to account for missing data.

Cite This Study

Wang et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7d76aa2b0e0cff3f6402abhttps://doi.org/10.2196/86937
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1UniVRse: protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial of virtual reality cognitive-behaviour therapy for students with social anxiety2026 · 1 citations
  2. 2VR-based psychotherapy intervention on alleviating depression and anxiety for Hong Kong populations: a mixed method pilot implementation study2026
  3. 3Facing fears in virtual worlds: A systematic review and meta-analysis on immersive VR therapy for children and adolescents with social anxiety and related disorders2026 · 3 citations
  4. 4An Automated Virtual Reality Cognitive-Behavioural Preventive Intervention for Adults with Agoraphobic Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Adapted gameChange in Hong Kong2025
  5. 5A systematic scoping review of virtual environments and tasks usable for therapist or self-guided assessment and intervention for Social Anxiety in children, adolescents, and adults2026