Academic Journal
Virtual reality assisted cognitive behavioral therapy improves theory of mind and decreases paranoia in patients with schizophrenia: a randomized controlled trial.
| Τίτλος: | Virtual reality assisted cognitive behavioral therapy improves theory of mind and decreases paranoia in patients with schizophrenia: a randomized controlled trial. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Monaghesh E; Department of Health Information Technology, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran., Farhang S; Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, University Center for Psychiatry, Rob Giel Research Center, Hanzeplein 1, Postbus, 30.001, HPC CC72, Groningen, RB 9700, Netherlands., Samad-Soltani T; Department of Health Information Technology, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Electronic address: taha.soltany@gmail.com. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry [J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry] 2025 Dec; Vol. 89, pp. 102055. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Aug 23. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 0245075 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-7943 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00057916 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Amsterdam : Elsevier Original Publication: [Elmsford, N.Y.] Pergamon Press. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Schizophrenia*/complications , Schizophrenia*/therapy , Cognitive Behavioral Therapy*/methods , Theory of Mind*/physiology , Paranoid Disorders*/therapy , Paranoid Disorders*/etiology , Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy*/methods , Virtual Reality*, Humans ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales |
| Περίληψη: | Introduction: patients with schizophrenia have deficits in social cognition and functioning. Virtual reality is a 3D real-world simulation created by a computer. Virtual reality-based cognitive behavioral therapy might increase effectiveness and acceptability of treatment for these patients. This study investigated the efficacy of VR-CBT compared to traditional CBT in improving these outcomes in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia. Methods: In this open-label, randomized controlled trial, 60 patients with schizophrenia (36 men, 24 women) were randomized to receive either four sessions of VR-CBT or traditional CBT, in addition to pharmacological treatment. The VR environment simulated a bus trip with 11 neutral-faced avatars. Outcomes were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS; positive symptom subscale), the Green Paranoid Thoughts Scale (GPTS), and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (Eyes Test) at baseline and post-treatment. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in all measures (p < 0.05). However, the VR-CBT group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in PANSS (p < 0.001) and GPTS scores (p < 0.001), and a significantly greater increase in Eyes Test scores (p < 0.002) compared to the CBT group. No adverse effects were reported. Conclusion: VR-CBT appears to be a promising adjunct to standard treatment for recent-onset schizophrenia, offering superior improvements in positive symptoms, paranoia, and ToM compared to traditional CBT. Further research is warranted to examine the long-term effects and underlying mechanisms of VR-CBT in this population. (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest None. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Cognitive behavioral therapy; Paranoia; Schizophrenia; Theory of mind; Treatment; Virtual reality |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20250825 Date Completed: 20250826 Latest Revision: 20250910 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jbtep.2025.102055 |
| PMID: | 40854622 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-7943 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jbtep.2025.102055 |