Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36413388›Full record

Trial reportSchizophrenia bulletin2023

Dynamic Interactive Social Cognition Training in Virtual Reality (DiSCoVR) versus Virtual Reality Relaxation (VRelax) for People With a Psychotic Disorder: A Single-Blind Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

S A Nijman, G H M Pijnenborg, R R Vermeer, C E R Zandee, D C Zandstra, D van der Vorm, A C de Wit-de Visser, I A Meins, C N W Geraets, W Veling

Open access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled TrialMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Schizophrenia bulletin, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
5.0field-weighted citation impact, top 4% 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

10 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

S A NijmanDepartment of Psychotic Disorders, GGZ Drenthe, Dennenweg 9, PO Box 30007, 9404 LA, Assen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7214-6610
G H M PijnenborgDepartment of Psychotic Disorders, GGZ Drenthe, Dennenweg 9, PO Box 30007, 9404 LA, Assen, The Netherlands.
R R VermeerGGZ Delfland, Sint Jorisweg 2, 2612 GA, Delft, The Netherlands.
C E R ZandeeGGZ Delfland, Sint Jorisweg 2, 2612 GA, Delft, The Netherlands.
D C ZandstraZeeuwse Gronden, Axelsestraat 8/A, 4537 AJ, Terneuzen, The Netherlands.
D van der VormGGZ Westelijk Noord-Brabant, Hoofdlaan 8, PO Box 371, 4600AJ, Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands.
A C de Wit-de VisserGGZ Westelijk Noord-Brabant, Hoofdlaan 8, PO Box 371, 4600AJ, Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands.
I A MeinsDepartment of Psychotic Disorders, GGZ Drenthe, Dennenweg 9, PO Box 30007, 9404 LA, Assen, The Netherlands.
C N W GeraetsUniversity Center of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-6401-2073
W VelingUniversity Center of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.
University Medical Center Groningen · NLGGZ Delfland · NLGGZ Westelijk Noord-Brabant · NLTilburg University · NLUniversity of Groningen · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and hypothesisSocial cognition training (SCT), an intervention for social cognition and social functioning, might be improved by using virtual reality (VR), because VR may offer better opportunities to practice in a potentially more realistic environment. To date, no controlled studies have investigated VR-SCT. This study investigated a VR-SCT, "DiSCoVR". We hypothesized that DiSCoVR would improve social cognition and social functioning. STUDY

designParticipants were randomized to DiSCoVR (n = 41) or VR relaxation ('VRelax', n = 40), an active control condition, and completed 16 twice-weekly sessions. Three assessments (baseline, posttreatment, and 3-month follow-up) were performed by blinded assessors. The primary outcome was social cognition (emotion perception and theory of mind). Secondary outcomes included social functioning (measured with an interview and experience sampling), psychiatric symptoms, information processing, and self-esteem. Data were analyzed using mixed-models regression analysis. Treatment effects were evaluated by the time by condition interaction terms. STUDY

resultsNo significant time by condition interactions were found for any of the outcome variables, indicating an absence of treatment effects. Between-group effect sizes ranged from negligible to moderate (Cohen's d < |0.53|). Main effects of time were found for several outcomes.

conclusionsThese results suggest that DiSCoVR was not effective, possibly because of inadequate simulation of emotional expressions in VR. This lack of efficacy may indicate that current SCT protocols are relatively unsuitable for improving social functioning. Previous studies showed small to moderate effects on higher order social cognition, but the SCT approach may need critical reevaluation, as it may not sufficiently lead to functional improvement.

Indexed as

Psychotic DisordersVirtual RealityCognitionHumansSingle-Blind MethodSocial CognitionTreatment Outcomecognitive remediation therapye-healthfacial affect recognitionmentalizationtheory of mind

Identifiers

PMID36413388
PMCPMC10016415
OpenAlexW4309649670

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.