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Virtual Humans in Virtual Reality Mental Health Research: Systematic Review.

Shu Wei1,2, Daniel Freeman3,4, Aitor Rovira3,4

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This summary is machine-generated.

Virtual humans (VH) in virtual reality (VR) show promise for mental health treatment. However, inconsistent reporting of VH design hinders progress, necessitating standardized investigations for optimized applications.

Keywords:
agentavatarmental healthvirtual humanvirtual reality

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Virtual Reality Technology

Background:

  • Virtual reality (VR) offers growing potential for mental health assessment and treatment.
  • Virtual humans (VHs) are integral to many VR mental health applications.
  • The design and impact of VHs in mental health research are under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review the use of VHs in immersive VR for mental health.
  • To analyze VH roles, interaction types, and tested human characteristics.
  • To identify research gaps in VH design and reporting.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines.
  • Searched major databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science).
  • Included immersive VR studies with VHs in mental health contexts; synthesized data narratively.

Main Results:

  • 79 studies met criteria, focusing on social anxiety, eating disorders, and psychosis.
  • VHs served as interaction partners, crowds, or participant bodies.
  • VH characteristics like body size and gender were varied, but personality was less explored.

Conclusions:

  • VHs are versatile in VR mental health, but design reporting is inconsistent.
  • Heterogeneity in studies and incomplete VH reporting limit comparability.
  • Standardized reporting and systematic VH design research are crucial for evidence-based applications.