{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:45:34Z","timestamp":1760060734898,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,23]],"date-time":"2025-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758585600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100006951","name":"The Children\u2019s Trust","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2332-7571"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2332-7571"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100006951","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Virtual Worlds"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Young children have experienced increased emotional difficulties, including anxiety, emotion dysregulation, and tantrums. Limited access to mental health services has created an urgent need for accessible interventions to equip professionals with effective strategies for managing children\u2019s strong emotions. This study piloted an innovative virtual reality (VR) simulation designed to teach professionals emotion management techniques. Methods: Participants included 107 early childhood professionals (e.g., educational, healthcare, and allied health) working with children aged 3\u20136 years from the southeastern United States. The multilingual VR simulation taught professionals emotion management strategies. Participants self-selected whether to complete a temper tantrum management simulation (n = 71) or a separation anxiety simulation (n = 36). Participants\u2019 responses to children\u2019s strong emotions were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at one-month follow-up, along with a satisfaction survey. Results: Participants reported a significant increase in intent to use effective emotion regulation strategies immediately following VR completion. However, actual use of effective strategies showed no significant change at one-month follow-up. Being a Spanish-speaking professional was associated with significantly greater improvements in both intent and actual use of effective strategies at follow-up. Participants reported high satisfaction ratings with the VR simulations. Conclusions: VR simulations show promise as an innovative tool for teaching emotion management strategies, particularly benefiting Spanish-speaking early childhood professionals. While effective for immediate motivation, additional support mechanisms (e.g., repeated practice, workplace supports) may be needed to sustain long-term behavior change in professional practice.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/virtualworlds4040044","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,23]],"date-time":"2025-09-23T15:54:54Z","timestamp":1758642894000},"page":"44","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["VR Regulators: Using Virtual Reality to Equip Early Childhood Professionals with Strategies for Child Emotion Management"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"4","author":[{"given":"Jason F.","family":"Jent","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alexis","family":"Landa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0902-0844","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mei Ling","family":"Shyu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Duy","family":"Nguyen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Arianna","family":"De Landaburu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lauren","family":"Pancavage","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abigail","family":"O\u2019Reilly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jennifer","family":"Coto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2083-9060","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ivette","family":"Cejas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Betty","family":"Alonso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ConnectFamilias, Miami, FL 33130, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dainelys","family":"Garcia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-7608-8868","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elana","family":"Mansoor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3467-257X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Austin","family":"Garilli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8402-1455","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michelle","family":"Schladant","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6393-7296","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ruby","family":"Natale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"American Academy of Pediatrics (2021, November 07). 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