ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2025
The effect of virtual reality headsets on breast milk production and anxiety in mothers of preterm infants.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2025. 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
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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.
- Effects of Digital Health Interventions on Breastfeeding Rates, Self-Efficacy, and Knowledge: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Supporting Breast Milk Expression During Mother-Infant Separation: A Scoping Review of Interventions, Technologies, and Service Delivery Models.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Virtual Reality to Improve Breastfeeding Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Review
- Virtual, Augmented, Mixed, and Immersive Technologies for Prenatal and Childbirth Education: Scoping Review.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of virtual reality (VR) headsets on breast milk production and anxiety levels in mothers of preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
methodsThis quasi-experimental study included 30 mothers whose preterm infants (30-37 weeks of gestation) were admitted to the NICU at Van Yuzuncu Yil University Dursun Odabas Medical Center between November 2, 2023, and June 1, 2024. Mothers expressed their first milk of the day for three days, and the volume was recorded using the Breast Milk Quantity Monitoring Form. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was administered before milking. After three days, mothers underwent VR relaxation sessions (10 min daily) for three consecutive days, followed by milk expression and volume recording. The STAI was re-administered on the final day.
resultsPost-VR anxiety scores were significantly lower than pre-VR scores (t = 5.487, p < 0.001). Breast milk volume increased significantly after VR sessions (z = 4.553, p < 0.001). A moderate negative correlation was found between anxiety and milk quantity (r = -0.394, p = 0.031). Multivariable analyses showed that prior breastfeeding experience and education level influenced milk volume.
conclusionVR headsets may reduce anxiety (p < 0.001) and enhance breast milk production (p < 0.001) in mothers of preterm infants in the NICU. Further research with larger samples and longer interventions is needed to confirm these findings and optimize VR's role in maternal health.
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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.