NCT07161141

Developing an Immersive Virtual Reality Platform

Developing an Immersive Virtual Reality Platform to Support Birth Preparedness and Mental Wellbeing in Pregnant Women

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 68 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Necmettin Erbakan University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 49 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study is a two-stage, mixed-method, pre-test post-test design aimed at developing and testing an immersive VR intervention for new mothers. This research is 2-arm a 4-week prospective randomized clinical trial

Detailed description

This is an intervention-based study. The first phase of the research will focus on developing the intervention, which will involve the creation of a virtual labyrinth. The concept of "Labyrinth of Birth," was popularized by Pam England. This approach uses the labyrinth as a metaphor to represent the emotional and psychological journey of labor and childbirth. In this model, the mother mentally "walks" through a labyrinth, symbolizing the unique challenges, introspections, and transformations of labor (England, 1998). In this study, the period from pregnancy to birth will be represented as a labyrinth walk with the education, self awarness and motivation content. The content will focus on how to best prepare the mothers during this journey. The content will be revised and finalized based on expert feedback panel, including academics with expertise in pregnancy, childbirth, mental health, VR, until it is deemed appropriate. Then the content will be transferred to a the VR environment. An expert team will be assembled to design the digital labyrinth, and it will be made accessible through VR HMDs. The second phase of the study will focus on testing the intervention.

Conditions

• Pregnancy
• Mental Health (Depression)
• Childbirth Preparation Program

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Immersive Virtual Reality Platform to Support Birth Preparedness and Mental Wellbeing	The VR-based intervention will be grounded in a childbirth education framework designed to enhance women's awareness of their attitudes toward childbirth, their readiness for the birthing process, and their expectations related to labor, delivery, and the postpartum period. The program aims to strengthen emotional insight and coping capacities by guiding participants to reflect on their feelings and thoughts throughout the childbirth journey. The intervention will integrate key components such as breath awareness exercises, coping techniques, and motivational messages. While participants receive structured childbirth education, they will simultaneously be supported in developing psychological preparedness through immersive and reflective experiences tailored to foster emotional resilience and self-efficacy. The digital labyrinth will be designed both visually and functionally to facilitate immersive navigation. It will be set in an expansive virtual landscape enriched with natural elem

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-01-01
• Primary completion: 2026-09-30
• Completion: 2026-12-30
• First posted: 2025-09-08
• Last updated: 2025-09-16