Virtual Reality treatment for improving SOcial functioning and Participation

Young people with a psychotic disorder have the same social goals as their healthy peers, but their social networks are smaller, they participate less often in leisure activities and are less successful in work and education. Causes of these problems are multifaceted, but culminate in difficulties with interacting in daily life social situations. Current treatments have only moderate effects on social functioning. Virtual Reality (VR) has a great potential to improve training of social interaction difficulties. A novel VR treatment for this problem has been developed (VR-SOAP). The objective of this study is to pilot this novel VR treatment for social interaction difficulties in preparation of a subsequent randomized controlled trial (RCT). The aim of the study is threefold: 1) to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the therapy, 2) to evaluate and improve the treatment protocol using input from therapists and participants, 3) to explore sensitivity to change of outcome measures. This study is a pilot study with a pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design. Six patients will be included in the study.

Young people with a psychotic disorder have the same social goals as their healthy peers, but their social networks are smaller, they participate less often in leisure activities and are less successful in work and education. This impairment in social functioning can result in a lower quality of life and insecurity about the future. Current treatments have only moderate effects on social functioning. Virtual Reality (VR) has a great potential to improve training of social interaction difficulties. Therefore, we developed a new Virtual Reality intervention (VR-SOAP) for enhancing the social contacts, leisure activities and social participation of young people with psychosis. VR-SOAP is expected to be accepted by therapists and patients and that the treatment is feasible. This study aims to test this hypothesis.

All measures will be administrated at baseline (T0) and post-treatment (T1).

VR-SOAP consists of 14 weekly sessions (60 minutes) focused on enhancing the quantity and quality of social contacts, leisure activities and participation of young people with a psychotic disorder. VR-SOAP has four optional modules (1-4) and one fixed module (5). In session 1-2 the patient and the therapist discuss the baseline assessment summary and formulate goals concerning social contacts, leisure activities and/or social participation. At the end of session 2, VR-SOAP is introduced. Patient and therapist select two out of four optional VR modules (four sessions each), depending on the perceives causes of the social interaction difficulties and the patient’s goals: Negative symptoms (1), Social cognition (2), Paranoid ideations and Social anxiety (3), Self-esteem and Self-stigma (4). All patients will end with the Communication and Interaction skills module (5, 4 sessions), in which experiences, knowledge and skills from the other modules are integrated and applied.