SynthesisJournal of studies on alcohol and drugs2024
Applications of Immersive Virtual Reality for Illicit Substance Use: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Virtual Reality in Prevention and Treatment of Substance-Related Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Clinical psychology & psychotherapyPooled it
- Article
- Are virtual reality (VR) interventions for substance use disorders designed for implementation? A rapid review of platform characteristics and clinical fit.Research square · 2026Article
- A Bibliometric Study of the Evidence About Applying Virtual Reality in Mental Health Care.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThis study aims to review applications of immersive, head-mounted display (HMD)-delivered virtual reality (VR) technology for the assessment and modification of clinically relevant factors (e.g., craving, electrophysiological reactions, brain activation) present in illicit substance use.
methodA PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)-guided systematic review was conducted and retrieved articles from four databases. Articles included were peer-reviewed, empirical studies and were screened on criteria pertaining to sample using (or with a history of using) substances and measurement of substance-related factors.
resultsEighteen articles met inclusion criteria. Applications of immersive, HMD-delivered VR in assessment and modification were most prevalent among individuals using (or with a history of using) methamphetamine and targeted subjective craving, electrophysiological biomarkers (e.g., heart rate variability, skin conductance), and brain activity. Environments presented through VR involved substance-relevant cues (e.g., paraphernalia) and neuropsychological assessments. The majority of assessment studies elicited clinically relevant factor(s) present in illicit substance use through VR and all reviewed modification studies effectively reduced clinically relevant factors in methamphetamine and opioid use (e.g., craving, subjective pain).
conclusionsThere is evidence to support the use of immersive, HMD-delivered VR in the assessment and modification of clinically relevant factors in methamphetamine use, as well as preliminary evidence to support its effectiveness for clinically relevant factors in opioid use. Future research should further examine the effectiveness of HMD-delivered VR in modifying illicit substance use and triangulate biomarkers measured in individuals using illicit substances.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.