Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32699517›Full record

ReviewDialogues in clinical neuroscience2020

Virtual reality as a clinical tool in mental health research and practice
.

Imogen H Bell, Jennifer Nicholas, Mario Alvarez-Jimenez, Andrew Thompson, Lucia Valmaggia

Registry-linked trialOpen access · diamondAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06893510 (The Effect of Virtual Reality-Based and Face-to-Face Relaxation Programs on Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Pregnant Women With Preeclampsia), which is not on this map. Cited by 110 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
110citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
15.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06893510 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

The Effect of Virtual Reality-Based and Face-to-Face Relaxation Programs on Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Pregnant Women With Preeclampsia

TypeinterventionalSponsorIstanbul University - CerrahpasaRan2025 to 2026Enrolled96ConditionsPre-Eclampsia, Maternal Health, Relaxation, Virtual RealityArmsVirtual Reality Based Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Face-to-Face Progressive Muscle Relaxation
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

110 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 298 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Brief Report: Virtual Reality to Raise Awareness About Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025
    Trial
  13. Trial
  14. Trial
  15. Trial
  16. Trial
  17. Trial
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Digital Psychiatry with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality: Recent Advances and Limitations.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review

50 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Imogen H BellOrygen, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
Jennifer NicholasOrygen, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
Mario Alvarez-JimenezOrygen, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
Andrew ThompsonOrygen, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia; University of Warwick - Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing, University of Warwick, UK.
Lucia ValmaggiaKing's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Orygen Youth Health · AUUniversity of Melbourne · AUKing's College London · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) is a potentially powerful technology for enhancing assessment in mental health. At any time or place, individuals can be transported into immersive and interactive virtual worlds that are fully controlled by the researcher or clinician. This capability is central to recent interest in how VR might be harnessed in both treatment and assessment of mental health conditions. The current review provides a summary of the advantages of using VR for assessment in mental health, focusing on increasing ecological validity of highly controlled environments, enhancing personalization and engagement, and capturing real-time, automated data in real-world contexts. Considerations for the implementation of VR in research and clinical settings are discussed, including current issues with cost and access, developing evidence base, technical challenges, and ethical implications. The opportunities and challenges of VR are important to understand as researchers and clinicians look to harness this technology to improve mental health outcomes.
.

Indexed as

Biomedical ResearchClinical Trials as TopicComputer SystemsData CollectionHumansMental DisordersMental HealthVirtual Reality Exposure Therapyassessmentdigital technologymental disordersmental healthpsychiatryvirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID32699517
PMCPMC7366939
OpenAlexW3044670440

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.