Relaxation, stress and anxietywhat the research examines
Short answer: The library holds 50 references on virtual reality and relaxation, stress and anxiety, published between 2014 and 2026. They include 5 systematic reviews or meta-analyses and 12 randomised controlled trials. The research mainly examines anxiety before and during procedures.
The evidence in numbers
50References
5Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
12Randomised trials
2014–2026Years
Counted in the RVer study library · languages: Portuguese, English, Spanish. The design of each study was classified by the team from the publication.
What the research examines
- Anxiety before and during procedures: surgery, dental treatment, examinations.
- Relaxation with immersive natural environments, compared with conventional relaxation.
- Mindfulness and biofeedback inside virtual reality.
- Stress in students, healthcare professionals and carers.
What is not yet known
- The medium- and long-term effect, beyond the session.
- Which kind of content works best for whom.
- Little research in people living in institutions or with cognitive impairment.
The references, by study design
Meta-analyses · 5
- The effect of virtual reality for anxiety and pain in dentistry: A systematic review and meta-analysisH. M. Nezhad · 2024 · Community Dental Health
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials for evaluating the effectiveness of virtual reality therapy for social anxiety disorderKa Po Wong · 2023 · Journal of Affective Disorders, 333: 353–364
- Virtual reality in pediatrics, effects on pain and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis updateFloris Q. Tas · 2022 · Pediatric Anesthesia, 32(12): 1292–1304
- The Effects of Virtual Reality on Procedural Pain and Anxiety in Pediatrics: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisRikke Nordgård · 2021 · Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 2: 699383
- Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Virtual Reality in Pediatrics: Effects on Pain and AnxietyRobin Eijlers · 2019 · Anesthesia & Analgesia, 129(5): 1344–1353
Randomised controlled trials · 12
- Effect of Virtual Reality Distraction Method on the Level of Salivary Cortisol in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Dental TreatmentLekshmi R. Suresh · 2026 · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 56(5): 1737–1746
- Nature-based virtual reality relaxation to improve mental health and sleep in undergraduate students: A randomized controlled trialJunggeun Ahn · 2025 · Digital Health
- Flourishing-Life-Of-Wish Virtual Reality Relaxation Therapy (FLOW-VRT-Relaxation) outperforms traditional relaxation therapy in palliative care: results from a randomized controlled trialOlive K. L. Woo · 2024 · Frontiers in Virtual Reality
- The effect of virtual reality glasses on dental anxiety during scaling and root planing in patients with periodontitis: A randomized controlled clinical trialEzgi Ceylan · 2024 · International Journal of Dental Hygiene
- Distraction With Virtual Reality Goggles in Paediatric Dental Treatment: A Randomised Controlled TrialLior Zaidman · 2023 · International Dental Journal, 73(1): 108–113
- VR in Nursing Facilities - A randomized controlled multicenter pilot study analyzing the changes in the state of mind of seniors in nursing facilities through the viewing of 360° videosSina-Sophia Gruber · 2022 · Journal of Public Health, 30(11): 2701–2715
- Effect of an Immersive Virtual Reality Intervention on Pain and Anxiety Associated With Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Placement in the Pediatric Setting: A Randomized Clinical TrialJeffrey I. Gold · 2021 · JAMA Network Open, 4(8): e2122569
- Virtual Reality Relaxation to Decrease Dental Anxiety: Immediate Effect Randomized Clinical TrialS. Lahti · 2020 · JDR Clinical & Translational Research
- A Randomised Controlled Feasibility Trial of Immersive Virtual Reality Treatment with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Specific Phobias in Young People with Autism Spectrum DisorderMorag Maskey · 2019 · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(5): 1912–1927
- Efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy for the treatment of dental phobia in adults: A randomized controlled trialKumar Raghav Gujjar · 2019 · Journal of Anxiety Disorders
- Is Virtual Reality Ready for Prime Time in the Medical Space? A Randomized Control Trial of Pediatric Virtual Reality for Acute Procedural Pain ManagementJeffrey I. Gold · 2018 · Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 43(3): 266–275
- Randomized clinical trial of immersive virtual reality tour of the operating theatre in children before anaesthesiaJ-H Ryu · 2017 · British Journal of Surgery, 104(12): 1628–1633
Non-randomised clinical studies · 3
- Exploring the Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia and Caregiver Burden: Longitudinal Observational StudyLing-Chun Huang · 2025 · JMIR Serious Games, 13: e73044
- Can virtual reality reduce pain and anxiety in pediatric emergency care and promote positive response of parents of children? A quasi-experimental studyMarta Ferraz-Torres · 2023 · International Emergency Nursing, 68: 101268
- Combination of 3-Dimensional Virtual Reality and Hands-On Aromatherapy in Improving Institutionalized Older Adults’ Psychological Health: Quasi-Experimental StudyVivian Ya-Wen Cheng · 2020 · Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(7): e17096
Pilot or feasibility studies · 10
- Investigating the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Therapy on Sleep Quality Among Bosnian Young Adults: A Pilot StudyFaruk Obuća · 2025 · Sleep and Vigilance
- An Intervention on Anxiety Symptoms in Moderate Alzheimer's Disease through Virtual Reality: A Feasibility Study and Lessons LearnedDesirée Sánchez-Nieto · 2023 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3): 2727
- The Impact of Virtual Reality (VR) on Psychological and Physiological Variables in Children Receiving Chemotherapy: A Pilot Cross-Over StudySándor Erdős · 2023 · Integrative Cancer Therapies, 22: 1–8
- Feasibility of Group-Based Multiple Virtual Reality Sessions to Reduce Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Persons Living in Residential Aged CareRachel E. Brimelow · 2022 · Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 23(5): 831–837.e2
- Virtual Reality Combined with Artificial Intelligence (VR-AI) Reduces Hot Flashes and Improves Psychological Well-Being in Women with Breast and Ovarian Cancer: A Pilot StudyDanny Horesh · 2022 · Healthcare (MDPI), 10(11): 2261
- Developing a virtual reality for people with dementia in nursing homes based on their psychological needs: a feasibility studyJung-Hee Kim · 2021 · BMC Geriatrics, 21(1): 167
- Older Adults With Cognitive and/or Physical Impairments Can Benefit From Immersive Virtual Reality Experiences: A Feasibility StudyLora Appel · 2020 · Frontiers in Medicine, 6: 329
- Preliminary Research: Virtual Reality in Residential Aged Care to Reduce Apathy and Improve MoodRachel E. Brimelow · 2020 · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 23(3): 165–170
- Virtual Reality for Therapeutic Recreation in Dementia Hospice Care: A Feasibility StudyClaire Ferguson · 2020 · American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, 37(10): 809–815
- Effectiveness of a Virtual Reality Forest on People With Dementia: A Mixed Methods Pilot StudyWendy Moyle · 2018 · The Gerontologist, 58(3): 478–487
Case reports or series · 2
- Using Immersive Virtual Reality Distraction to Reduce Fear and Anxiety before SurgeryAraceli Flores · 2023 · Healthcare (MDPI), 11(19): 2697
- Aplicación de la realidad virtual en niños oncológicos hospitalizados sometidos a procedimientos invasivos: un estudio de casosDiego José Sáez-Rodríguez · 2021 · Psicooncología, 18(1): 157–172
Qualitative or user studies · 2
- Factors associated with the outcomes of a novel virtual reality therapy for military veterans with PTSD: Theory development using a mixed methods analysisBen Hannigan · 2023
- User-Centered Virtual Reality for Promoting Relaxation: An Innovative ApproachSilvia Francesca Maria Pizzoli · 2019 · Frontiers in Psychology, 10: 479
Experimental studies in volunteers · 1
- Effects of Virtual Reality-Based Relaxation Techniques on Psychological, Physiological, and Biochemical Stress IndicatorsEglė Mazgelytė · 2021 · Healthcare (MDPI), 9(12): 1729
Economic evaluations · 1
- Estimating the Economic Value of Automated Virtual Reality Cognitive Therapy for Treating Agoraphobic Avoidance in Patients With Psychosis: Findings From the gameChange Randomized Controlled Clinical TrialJames Altunkaya · 2022 · Journal of Medical Internet Research
Narrative or scoping reviews · 6
- Effects of virtual reality on pain and anxiety in older adults: A scoping reviewCamille Corbel · 2025 · Geriatric Nursing, 63: 619–629
- Virtual Reality Interventions for Enhancing Sleep Quality: A Comprehensive Review of Current ApproachesKomal Sharma · 2025 · Sleep and Vigilance
- Fully Immersive Virtual Reality Using 360° Videos to Manage Well-Being in Older Adults: A Scoping ReviewJ. Restout · 2023 · Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 24(4): 564–572
- The efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) with extra intervention for treating PTSD symptomsNico Tandra Jonathan · 2023
- Realidade virtual na prática de mindfulness em psicoterapia: uma revisão narrativaDirce Maria Bengel de Paula · 2021 · Psicologia em Estudo, 26: e46410
- Virtual Reality for Supporting the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety: Scoping ReviewNilufar Baghaei · 2021 · JMIR Mental Health, 8(9): e29681
Essays, editorials or conceptual papers · 2
- Virtual reality for pain and anxiety in young children: It is far from magicGianluca Bertolizio · 2022 · Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica (Editorial)
- When sleep goes virtual: the potential of using virtual reality at bedtime to facilitate sleepMassimiliano de Zambotti · 2020 · Sleep
Books or chapters · 2
- Therapeutic Virtual Reality: Theory, Applications, and Impact on the People’s Health and Well-beingJoão Fernandes Thomaz · 2026 · Cambridge Scholars Publishing
- Therapeutic Virtual Reality (RVer) Findings in Older Adults’ Cognitive Impairment and DepressionRita Ferreira · 2022 · RVer
Clinical studies, design not stated · 4
- Virtual Reality For Preoperative Anxiety In Tooth ExtractionZeng Yang · 2025 · International Dental Journal
- Virtual reality improves sleep quality and associated symptoms in patients with chronic insomniaYahui Wan · 2024 · Sleep Medicine
- Effect of audio and virtual reality distraction on the dental anxiety of children with mild intellectual disabilityDeepshikha Mehrotra · 2023 · Special Care in Dentistry, 2023
- Clinical Use of Virtual Reality Distraction System to Reduce Anxiety and Pain in Dental ProceduresMark D. Wiederhold · 2014 · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
Glossary terms
Other topics
This page describes what published research on virtual reality examines in this topic. It is not a claim about RVer's performance and does not replace clinical assessment. The Class I medical device registration (EUDAMED, Basic UDI-DI 56006195127RVERTZ, and INFARMED, Portugal, CDM 94571546) covers the RVer base product.