ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Digital Mental Health
Evaluating a Virtual Reality–Delivered Mindfulness Intervention for Anxiety: A Mixed-Methods Study in Real-World Community and School Settings
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Liverpool Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- 2Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
- 3Scenegraph Studios, Birkenhead, United Kingdom
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Introduction: Adolescent anxiety is rising globally, yet access to engaging mental health support remains limited, especially outside clinical care. Virtual reality (VR) offers a promising platform for delivering immersive mindfulness experiences. This study evaluated SpiritVR Journey, a six-session VR mindfulness programme designed for young people, delivered in real-world school and community environments. Methods: Using an exploratory pre–post mixed-methods design, data were collected from 53 participants across schools, community organisations, and youth mental health services. Recruitment was facilitator-led and internal to each site. Quantitative data were gathered before and after each session using an adapted Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), while qualitative reflections were obtained from participant diary entries. Sessions were delivered approximately once per week, depending on site scheduling. Results: Participants showed a significant reduction in self-reported anxiety symptoms across sessions (mean GAD-7 change = 4.88; Cohen's d = 2.06). Qualitative themes highlighted relaxation, emotional relief, and improved self-regulation. The immersive format appeared particularly engaging for individuals who had found traditional mindfulness approaches challenging. Discussion: Findings provide preliminary evidence of impact and acceptability of immersive VR mindfulness in youth and community contexts. While results suggest promise for future scalable applications, broader feasibility depends on access to VR hardware, training of facilitators, and setting-specific implementation support.
Keywords: Adolescent anxiety, virtual reality, mindfulness, digital mental health, GAD-7, School-based intervention, mixed methods
Received: 19 Jul 2025; Accepted: 12 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rafiei, Santa, Honey, Tully and Mezes. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Barbara Mezes, b.mezes@liverpool.ac.uk
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