Virtual Reality Tools as new path for research and intervention with children and adolescents
Chair(s): Simona Carla Silvia Caravita (Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Universitas Mercatorum, Italy & Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research in Education, University of Stavanger, Norway)
Discussant(s): Giulio D'Urso (“Mediterranea” University of Reggio Calabria, Italy)
During last years the fast technological development has provided new resources for the research in developmental psychology. In particular, the Virtual Reality (VR) technology, supported by the diffusion of hardware devices more easily portable and accessible, constitutes a new frontier for the experimental research and the research on psychological intervention with children (e.g., Romero-Ayuso et al., 2021). Using VR tools, indeed, has some advantages. In terms of basic research, VR allows utilizing stimuli with a precise control of the experimental conditions. In terms of intervention, it is possible to develop and implement VR interventions to be used in combination with or as an alternative to traditional interventions to address children who are experiencing severe life adversities but have less or limited access to professionals, for instance refugee children. Furthermore, VR tools can be used also in promotion of children’s wellbeing and universal prevention actions, providing an attractive and safe context in which improving social skills.
This symposium includes three innovative studies in this line of research, considering the use of VR tools for interventions with children fronting adverse life events (refugees and children involved in bullying) and for research in the area of moral development. The first contribution by Albawab and colleagues presents a study investigating the effectiveness of a VR intervention designed for trauma recovery and emotion regulation among Syrian refugee children. The second contribution by Finne and colleagues reports on two feasibility studies conducted in UK and Norway to codesign a VR tool for antibullying prevention together with children, parents and school professionals. The last contribution by De Angelis and colleagues presents a study on moral decision making in relation to involvement in bullying using a VR immersive scenario to trigger care intuition. Advantages and challenges from using VR for research and intervention with children will be discussed.
Presentations of the Symposium
Virtual Reality as a Tool for Trauma Recovery and Emotional Regulation in Syrian Refugee Children
Alaa Albawab1, Muthanna Samara1, Vedad Hulusic2, Aiman El-Asam1
1Department of Psychology, Kingston University London (UK), 2Department of Creative Technology, Bournemouth University (UK)
The Syrian war has led to the displacement of millions, with children making up a significant proportion of refugees (Sim 2018; UNOCHA, 2023). Many face psychological distress, yet accessible and culturally relevant interventions remain limited. While prior research has extensively documented the trauma experienced by Syrian refugee children, there is a critical gap in evidence-based psychological interventions tailored to this vulnerable group.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of a five-session Virtual Reality (VR) intervention designed to improve emotional resilience and reduce mental health distress among 62 Syrian refugee children (ages 7–15) residing in Berlin. A longitudinal approach was employed, assessing participants at three time points: pre-intervention (baseline), immediately post-intervention, and at a three-month follow-up.
Findings demonstrate significant improvements in emotional regulation, along with substantial reductions in post-traumatic symptoms, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Positive outcomes persisted at follow-up, suggesting the lasting impact of VR-based interventions.
This study provides compelling evidence for the efficacy of VR as an innovative, accessible psychological tool for displaced children. By offering an engaging, stigma-free alternative to traditional therapy, VR interventions have the potential to bridge critical gaps in mental health support for refugee populations, addressing barriers such as long waiting times and limited access to specialised care.
“Pathway to Resilience” Developing a VR tool for bullying prevention among children: A qualitative study in UK and Norway
Johannes N. Finne1, Magdalena Bacikova2, Vedad Hulusic3, Aiman El-Asam2, Muthanna Samara2, Simona C. S. Caravita4
1Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research in Education, University of Stavanger, Norway, 2Department of Psychology, Kingston University London, UK, 3Department of Creative Technology, Bournemouth University, UK, 4Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Universitas Mercatorum, Italy & Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research in Education, University of Stavanger, Norway
Bullying is one of the most widespread risky behaviours among children, producing negative psychosocial outcomes for the children involved (Moore et al., 2017). Even if researchers have developed anti-bullying interventions, due to limitations in resources and a lack of research into cost-effective solutions, many children do not receive the necessary support. According to recent meta-analyses, there is a great need for new and innovative ways to aid children experiencing bullying (Chen, 2022). This study is part of larger international (UK and Norway) research project aimed to address this issue by developing a VR intervention designed to help children enhance coping and resilience skills and strategies in dealing with bullying.
As first step in the larger project we have conducted a feasibility study in the UK with the aim to co-design the new VR intervention in collaboration with children (aged 7-12), parents, teachers, and school practitioners. The UK study involved 30 participants: 10 parents, 10 professionals (9 teachers and 1 psychologist), and 10 children. The same feasibility study has been organized also in Norway, where three focus groups will be realized involving children, parents, and professionals. All the focus groups in UK and Norway include: interviewing the participants on their views about bullying among children, their awareness of existing anti-bullying interventions at schools, and their views on the VR application in general and specifically to be used to prevent bullying; giving the participants the possibility to try a VR tool designed in UK to support traumatized children, to create a basis upon which they can reflect about the feasibility for VR tool in bullying prevention.
Findings from both feasibility studies will be compared and analysed. Results will be discussed considering how VR technologies can be cost-effective tools for interventions against bullying and its negative outcomes among children.
Utilitarian choice in hostile and prosocial roles of bullying: using VR to investigate adolescents’ responses and trigger care intuition
Grazia De Angelis1, Chiara Scuotto2, Nicoló M. Iannello1, Angelo Rega1, Stefano Triberti2, Gaetana Affuso3, Pierpaolo Limone4
1School Psychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology and Health Sciences, Pegaso University, Italy, 2Laboratory for Advanced Human-Technology Interaction, Department of Psychology and Health Sciences, Pegaso University, Italy, 3Department of Psychology, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Italy, 4Department of Psychology and Health Sciences, Pegaso University, Italy
Despite the wide literature within the framework of the dual process model (Greene et al., 2001), just few studies evaluated the relation between utilitarian/deontological choice in moral dilemmas and behavior. Moreover, just one study, involving primary and middle school students and using only classical procedure, investigated responses of children involved in bullying situations (Belacchi & Farina, 2018). In light of this, the present study will use virtual reality (VR) tools to investigate utilitarian choice in adolescents involved in hostile and prosocial roles of bullying, by presenting them with moral dilemmas, using classical procedure and process dissociation. Additionally, this contribution is aimed at ascertaining if triggering the adequate moral intuition through VR might influence decision making in the proposed moral dilemmas.
Participants will be Italian 9th to 13th grade students. The research procedure will include two phases. Firstly, using VR tools, participants will be presented with classical sacrificial dilemmas, followed, in accordance with process dissociation procedure, with other dilemmas in two variants; they will be asked to choose whether they would harm or sacrifice one person to obtain a positive outcome. Secondly, the participants will be presented with an immersive scenario triggering care intuition, followed by the same moral dilemmas presented in the first phase.
In line with the mentioned study on younger individuals, adolescents involved in hostile roles are expected to give more utilitarian responses to classical sacrificial dilemmas. Also, based on literature on other maladaptive behaviors, we expect that process dissociation will evidence less utilitarian responses in adolescents involved in hostile roles and more utilitarian responses in adolescents involved in prosocial roles. Finally, triggering care intuition is expected to produce a decrease of utilitarian responses to classical dilemmas and an increase of utilitarian responses to other dilemmas. Implications for intervention and usefulness of VR will be discussed.
