Meeting abstract

https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.360

Stability of the Immediate Effect of Virtual Reality– Based Relaxation Across Repeated Sessions During Inpatient Treatment for Depression

Lana Kavur ; University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče, Zagreb, Croatia; School of Medicine, Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia *
Anđelko Vidović ; University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Petrana Brečić ; University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče, Zagreb, Croatia; School of Medicine, Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

Objectives: Relaxation using virtual reality (VR)
produces an immediate improvement in the affective
state of psychiatric patients, but it is insufficiently
investigated whether the effect of the intervention
is maintained with repeated application
or diminishes due to habituation. The aim was to
examine the effect over consecutive sessions and
the tolerability of the intervention. Methods: Ten
hospitalized patients with recurrent depressive
disorder, randomized to the intervention group
of a pilot study, received 6 sessions of VR relaxation
with the VRelax application over two weeks,
in addition to standard treatment. Before and after
each session, 9 affective states were assessed
using visual analogue scales, and discomfort was measured with the Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire
(VRSQ). The control group was treated
with the standard inpatient program, and clinical
indicators were measured in both groups at baseline
and after two weeks; the results are presented
separately. Statistical analysis: Within-session
changes were analyzed using Wilcoxon’s signedrank
test on values averaged across the 6 applications,
and the trajectories of pre- and post-session
values were analyzed using Friedman’s test with
Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Tolerability
was presented descriptively. Results: All 9 affective
states changed significantly after VR relaxation.
Post-session values did not change significantly
over the two-week period, whereas pre-session
values improved on four items. After each application,
patients reached a comparable affective
state, while the within-session change decreased
because the pre-session state became increasingly
favorable. The median VRSQ score was 0.0 after
both the first and the last session. Conclusion:
The immediate effect of VR relaxation did not
diminish over the entire period of application,
and tolerability was excellent. The improvement
in pre-session state cannot be disentangled from
the effect of standard inpatient treatment, as it
was measured only in the VR group. A three-arm
design with an active control is needed.

Keywords

virtual reality; relaxation; depression; inpatient treatment

Hrčak ID:

353120

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/353120

Publication date:

15.6.2026.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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