NCT05778526

Social Virtual-reality on Enhancing Social Interaction Skills in Children With Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Effectiveness of Social Virtual-reality on Enhancing Social Interaction Skills in Children With Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: a Three-arm Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 90 (actual)
• Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 6 Years – 12 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The study targets children with diagnosed ADHD and aims to (1) develop a social virtual reality-based intervention, (2) investigate its effects on improving the social skills and executive functioning of inhibitions, emotional control and attention of the children compared to traditional social skills training and (3) evaluate the subjects acceptability and compliance with social VR training for enhancing social interaction skills. It is hypothesised that the social interaction skills of the participants in the social VR training group are likely to perform better than those in the traditional social skills training group. Participants in the waitlist control group will receive no change in social interaction skills compared with the two intervention groups.

Detailed description

The study will be a three-arm randomised controlled trial comparing the effects of social VR-based intervention with traditional social skills training on social skills and executive functioning of children with ADHD. Participants in the social VR intervention group and traditional social skill training group will receive 12 training sessions for 3 weeks (4 sessions per week), and participants in the waitlist control group will be asked to retain their usual lifestyles for 3 weeks.

Conditions

• Virtual Reality
• Social Interaction
• Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Virtual reality	There are a total of 12 training sessions for 3 weeks (4 sessions per week). Each session of the Social VR intervention lasts for a maximum of 20 minutes. The intervention contains three real-life virtual scenarios, including (1) a classroom and playground, (2) an MTR station and compartment, and (3) a supermarket and restaurant.
BEHAVIORAL	Traditional social skills training	There are a total of 12 training sessions for 3 weeks (4 sessions per week). Each session lasts for a maximum of 20 minutes. Four modules will be covered in the 3-week training: (1) how to introduce yourself and basic social skills; (2) how to listen to others; (3) how to share with others; (4) learn to know how people feel and how to empathise.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-02-18
• Primary completion: 2024-08-31
• Completion: 2024-09-06
• First posted: 2023-03-21
• Last updated: 2025-03-28
• Results posted: 2025-03-28

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Hong Kong