{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T01:01:59Z","timestamp":1790298119814,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"JMIR Publications Inc.","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JMIR Form Res"],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Adolescents with disabilities experience alarmingly higher rates of depression and isolation than peers without disabilities. There is a need to identify interventions that can improve mental health and isolation among this underserved population. Innovations in virtual reality (VR) gaming \u201cstandalone\u201d headsets allow greater access to immersive high-quality digital experiences, due to their relatively low cost.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n This study had three purposes, which were to (1) examine the preliminary effects of a low-cost, home-based VR multiplayer recreation and socialization on depression, socialization, and loneliness; (2) quantify the acceptability of the program as measured by participant adherence, total play time, and exercise time; and (3) identify and describe behavioral mechanisms that affected participant engagement.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n This was a single-group, pre- to postdesign trial. The intervention was conducted at home. Participants were recruited from a children\u2019s hospital. The intervention lasted 4 weeks and included 2\u00d71-hour sessions per week of supervised peer-to-peer gaming. Participants used the Meta Quest 2 headset to meet peers and 2 coaches in a private party held digitally. Aim 1 was evaluated with the Children\u2019s Depression Inventory 2 Short Form and the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale 20 items, which are measures of social isolation and loneliness, respectively. Aim 2 was evaluated through the following metrics: participant adherence, the types of games played, friendship building and playtime, and program satisfaction and enjoyment.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n In total, 12 people enrolled (mean age 16.6, SD 1.8 years; male: n=9 and female: n=3), and 8 people completed the program. Mean attendance for the 8 participants was 77% (49 sessions of 64 total possible sessions; mean 6, SD 2 sessions). A trend was observed for improved Children\u2019s Depression Inventory 2 Short Form scores (mean preintervention score 7.25, SD 4.2; mean postintervention score 5.38, SD 4.1; P=.06; effect size=0.45, 95% CI \u20130.15 to 3.9), but this was not statistically significant; no difference was observed for University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale 20 items scores. Most participants (7\/8, 88%) stated that they became friends with a peer in class; 50% (4\/8) reported that they played with other people. Participants reported high levels of enjoyment and satisfaction with how the program was implemented. Qualitative analysis resulted in 4 qualitative themes that explained behavioral mechanisms that determined engagement in the program.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n The study findings demonstrated that a brief VR group program could be valuable for potentially improving mental health among adolescents with physical disabilities. Participants built friendships with peers and other players on the web, using low-cost consumer equipment that provided easy access and strong scale-up potential. Study findings identified factors that can be addressed to enhance the program within a larger clinical trial.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Trial Registration<\/jats:title>\n ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05259462; https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/study\/NCT05259462<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)<\/jats:title>\n RR2-10.2196\/42651<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.2196\/47630","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,20]],"date-time":"2023-11-20T10:42:22Z","timestamp":1700476942000},"page":"e47630","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":22,"title":["Improving Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Adolescents With Physical Disabilities Through Group-Based Virtual Reality Gaming: Feasibility Pre-Post Trial Study"],"prefix":"10.2196","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5464-4720","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Byron","family":"Lai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2879-3236","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raven","family":"Young","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3456-0183","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mary","family":"Craig","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3067-8173","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kelli","family":"Chaviano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6135-8546","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Erin","family":"Swanson-Kimani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4801-6074","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cynthia","family":"Wozow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1860-7452","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Drew","family":"Davis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5546-2913","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"James H","family":"Rimmer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1010","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1155\/2017\/8080473"},{"issue":"2","key":"ref2","first-page":"111","volume":"41","author":"Chamberlain, MA","year":"2005","journal-title":"Eura Medicophys"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/s0045-9380(06)80013-7"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1469-8749.2008.03115.x"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/dmcn.13555"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/dmcn.12394"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3109\/09638288.2012.715721"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0009922813510203"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD011660.pub2"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2165\/00007256-200636120-00003"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apmr.2014.05.011"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3109\/09638288.2013.821181"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1176\/appi.ps.202100524"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/cch.12952"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18073432"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17228479"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/camh.12501"},{"key":"ref18","unstructured":"America's Health Rankings: annual report 2017United Health Foundation20172023-11-21https:\/\/assets.americashealthrankings.org\/app\/uploads\/ahrannual17_complete-121817.pdf"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.dhjo.2021.101263"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/20667"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/pst.185"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/42651"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1559-1816.2013.01042.x"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/09638288.2021.1894489"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/a0021769"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cbpra.2008.12.004"},{"key":"ref27","first-page":"1","author":"Kovacs, M","year":"2015","journal-title":"The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpsychores.2016.09.007"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1207\/s15327752jpa4203_11"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/h0077709"},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-021-02494-w"},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/09638280500211759"},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.46743\/2160-3715\/2017.2580"},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4324\/9781315762012","author":"Smith, B","year":"2016","journal-title":"Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1191\/1478088706qp063oa"},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/24967"},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/28210"},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjmed-2022-000158"},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2013.12.001"},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijhcs.2008.04.004"}],"container-title":["JMIR Formative Research"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/formative.jmir.org\/2023\/1\/e47630","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T17:55:39Z","timestamp":1782842139000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/formative.jmir.org\/2023\/1\/e47630"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,6]]},"references-count":40,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2196\/47630","relation":{"has-preprint":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.2196\/preprints.47630","asserted-by":"object"}]},"ISSN":["2561-326X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2561-326X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,6]]}}}