VCU researchers use virtual reality to treat conduct disorders in youth

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A recent study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has found that a new virtual reality program helped to reduce aggression and conduct problems in children.

The program called Impact VR, was developed by VCU psychologist, Nicholas Thomson.

Thomson is also the director of research for the Injury and Violence Prevention Program at VCU Health and said Impact VR is the first virtual reality program designed for youth with conduct disorder.

The disorder is defined as a mental health disorder that can cause children to exhibit symptoms of aggression or disobedience. 

According to Thomson, this form of therapy differs from traditional treatment, because instead of targeting the symptoms of conduct disorder, Impact VR targets the causes. 

8News previous coverage: VCU study shows new virtual reality program reduces aggression in youth

"What we know is that these youth have deficits in the ability to recognize people's emotions," said Thomson.

Thomson explained that one of the underlying factors driving behavior like aggression and disobedience is a difficulty understanding emotional cues. That's where Impact VR comes in.

VCU psychologist, Nicholas Thomson, Impact VR

Once the VR headsets are on, children are immersed in interactive stories that mimic real social situations which help them recognize emotional and social cues in a safe setting. 

"The more we can create real life situations that youth feel comfortable and they can make errors in these social situations and learn from them without the stigma that has real life consequences," Thomson said.

The VCU psychologist said this form of therapy is not only engaging, it's also a more low-cost and accessible treatment than traditional treatments.

"It's self-directed learning. This can be situated in a library in a classroom, in a counselor's office... it really does open up the service usage," said Thomson.

Another goal for Thomson was to ensure the treatment was effective. To test this, he led a clinical trial that involved 110 participants between 10 to 17 years old, who completed four weekly sessions of the program. He says the results showed tremendous improvement in their behaviors. 

"There were immediate reductions in conduct problems so that's that aggression, reactive violence," Thomson said. "But we also saw changes in those psychopathic traits that was sustained for three months, which is a huge accomplishment,"

Thomson says he plans to conduct a larger study to determine exactly how long the results can be sustained for.