Virtual Reality Game Preparation for Management of Anxiety in Children Scheduled for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging...

To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of using a preprocedural immersive virtual reality (VR) game to manage anxiety in children scheduled for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test and to assess its efficacy in reducing preprocedural anxiety before the MRI.

This randomized controlled trial included 96 children scheduled for an MRI and randomly assigned to an experimental (VR) or a control group (standard care). Outcomes measured included anxiety (French State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children [STAIC-F]), fear (Child Fear Scale [CFS]), physiological stress (salivary alpha-amylase [SAA]), and feasibility and acceptability measures. Outcomes were analyzed using ANCOVA and nonparametric tests.

Mean difference on the STAIC-F scores was significantly higher in the experimental group (p = 0.011). There was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups on the CFS, 1.4 ± 0.8 versus 1.3 ± 0.7; F(6, 81) = 1.24, p = 0.297, and neither between groups on the mean difference of the log-transformed SAA levels (-0.11 ± 0.58 vs. 0.20 ± 1.04; p = 0.10), respectively. Children's and parents' satisfaction levels with VR were 8.43/10 (standard deviation [SD] = 2.05) and 9.17/10 (SD = 1.27), respectively.

Although VR was feasible and acceptable, with high satisfaction among both parents and children, VR game preparation did not significantly reduce MRI-related anxiety or fear. Minimal side effects and positive engagement suggest VR remains a promising adjunct for MRI preparation, highlighting the need for further refinement of VR content tailored to age and clinical context to enhance its efficacy in managing anxiety.