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CLINICAL TRIAL article

Front. Virtual Real.

Sec. Virtual Reality in Medicine

Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frvir.2025.1608416

Acceptability and effects on mental health of a music-based virtual reality intervention in geriatric outpatients: Results from a pilot randomized controlled trial

Provisionally accepted
  • 1Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • 2Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
  • 3Montreal University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • 4St. Mary's hospital and research center, Montreal, Canada
  • 5The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • 6Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • 7Laboratoire de Recherches Intégratives en Neurosciences et Psychologie Cognitive - LINC UMR 1322 INSERM, Besançon, France
  • 8EA7276 Cognition Behavior Technology (CoBTeK), Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • 9Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • 10UFR Médecine de Nice, Département d'orthophonie, Nice, France
  • 11Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital and Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background. Although the benefits of music on mental health are well established, few studies have investigated the impact of delivering it through virtual reality (VR) technologies. VR offers immersive experiences that can enhance mental health benefits in geriatric patients. However, accessibility to VR music-based interventions for geriatric outpatients remains uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability and effects of a music-based VR intervention on emotion, well-being and mood in geriatric outpatients living in Montreal (Quebec, Canada). Methods. A single-center randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two parallel arms (i.e., control versus intervention) was conducted at the Montreal Geriatric University Institute (Quebec, Canada). A total of 41 outpatients from the geriatric and memory clinics were recruited and randomly assigned in the control group (n=20; music listening via headphones) and in the intervention group (n=21; VR-based music experience). The primary outcome was the acceptability of the intervention assessed using three complementary criteria: adoption defined as a retention rate ≥80%, satisfaction defined as willingness to reuse the intervention and perceived mental health benefits, and tolerance using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire [SSQ] score (high tolerance defined by a score ≤9). Secondary outcomes were the effect on emotional state assessed with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), on well-being assessed with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) and on mood states assessed with the Visual Analog Mood Scale (VAMS). Results. High retention (95.2%), satisfaction (85.0%) and tolerance (95%) rates were observed in the intervention group. The PANAS positive score significantly improved in the VR group (β = 15.9, 95% CI [6.8, 25.1], p = 0.001). No significant intergroup differences were observed for well-being and mood. Interpretation. This study demonstrates that a music-based VR intervention was highly acceptable and led to a significant improvement in positive emotional state among older adults in geriatric outpatients. Trial registration: NCT06296199; Title: Music, virtual reality and mental health of inpatients in the intensive functional rehabilitation unit and patients in the Montreal Geriatric University Institute geriatric outpatient clinic: Pilot clinical trial; First posted date: March 6, 2024; prospectively registered; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06296199

Keywords: virtual reality, emotion, Mental Health, Acceptability, art-based activities, Music

Received: 11 Apr 2025; Accepted: 07 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Galéry, Djerroud, Chabot, Sekhon, TANNOU, Gros and Beauchet. 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: Kévin Galéry, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, 06108, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

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