Virtual reality (VR) for mental health promotion remains understudied in low-income humanitarian settings. We examined the effectiveness of VR in reducing depression with urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda. This randomized controlled trial assessed VR alone (Arm 1), VR followed by Group Problem Management Plus (GPM+) (Arm 2) and a control group (Arm 3), with a peer-driven and convenience sample of refugee youth aged 16–25 in Kampala. The primary outcome, depression, was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Secondary outcomes included: mental health literacy, mental health stigma, self-compassion, mental well-being and adaptive coping. Analyses were conducted at three time points (baseline, 8 weeks, 16 weeks) using generalized estimating equations. Among participants (n = 335, mean age: 20.77, standard deviation: 3.01; cisgender women: n = 158, cisgender men: n = 173, transgender women: n = 4), we found no depression reductions for Arms 1 or 2 at 16 weeks compared with Arm 3. At 16 weeks, mental health literacy was significantly higher for Arm 2 compared with Arm 3, and self-compassion was significantly higher in Arm 1 and Arm 2 compared with Arm 3. VR alongside GPM+ may benefit self-compassion and MHL among urban refugee youth in Kampala, but these interventions were not effective in reducing depression.

Charisma, often seen as an innate trait, is now understood as leader signaling grounded in values, symbols, and emotions, suggesting it can be developed through interventions. However, the method for cultivating charisma remains unclear. This study examines nonverbal communication strategies, highlighting the potential of body language, facial expressions, and vocal modulation to enhance charisma. Additionally, we introduce a virtual reality training program focused on these cues and explore the role of audience presence in boosting the intervention’s effectiveness by fostering self-awareness and behavioral adjustments. Results of a controlled randomized experiment with virtual reality-trained participants and online charisma assessors demonstrated significant improvements in observer-rated charisma from pre- to post-training compared to the control group. Moreover, training in front of a virtual audience yielded the expected outcomes. This study sheds light on charisma theory, its potential virtual reality training application, and its implications for leadership development.

Virtual Reality is regularly heralded as a tool which will revolutionise teaching and education, yet little research has been done into its use and, in particular, into its use with secondary school students. Through a case study of a Year 13 Classical Civilisation class this article investigates student perceptions of the use of Virtual Reality in the Classics classroom and its impact upon their learning. This study demonstrated students' positive attitudes towards the use of Virtual Reality and that it appeared to have a positive and lasting impact upon their understanding of Ancient Greek sanctuaries. The study is limited in its scale – both in terms of student numbers and time period – but it can, I hope, offer encouragement for greater use of, and research into, Virtual Reality within the secondary Classics classroom.

This paper takes its cue from Koro and Wolgemuth’s conceptual writing on Apocalyptic Methodologies as an extended prompt to enact the utopian performative as a form of generative Queer Ecopedagogy. A utopian performative is the performance of future potential that critiques our present political moment, highlighting that the present is not enough. The paper offers a troubling of “nature” and place, in its suggestion that digital space can be a refuge for EE practice. It looks to virtual reality as a realm used to create space free from the constraints of colonial history or normative prescriptions of the non/human binary. The VR artwork Thalu: Dreamtime is Now, by Indigenous Ngarluma creator Tyson Mowarin is analysed to make a case that the digital realm can act as a reclamation and resistance to present colonialist realities, thereby enacting the utopian performative. By queering apocalyptic methodologies, the aim is to transcend traditional boundaries and reimagine the role of researchers, educators and custodians of the environment through apocalyptic imaginaries. In this endeavour, the utopian performative is only permissible through the digital space and therefore the political present, is not enough.

Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that allows to interact with recreated digital environments and situations with enhanced realism. VR has shown good acceptability and promise in different mental health conditions. No systematic review has evaluated the use of VR in Bipolar Disorder (BD). This PRISMA-compliant systematic review searched PubMed and Web of Science databases (PROSPERO: CRD42023467737) to identify studies conducted in individuals with BD in which VR was used. Results were systematically synthesized around four categories (cognitive and functional evaluation, clinical assessment, response to VR and safety/acceptability). Eleven studies were included (267 individuals, mean age = 36.6 years, 60.7% females). Six studies using VR to carry out a cognitive evaluation detected impairments in neuropsychological performance and delayed reaction times. VR was used to assess emotional regulation. No differences in well-being between VR-based and physical calm rooms were found. A VR-based stress management program reduced subjective stress, depression, and anxiety levels. VR-based cognitive remediation improved cognition, depressive symptoms, and emotional awareness. 48.7% of the individuals with BD considered VR-based cognitive remediation ‘excellent’, whereas 28.2% considered it ‘great’. 87.2% of individuals did not report any side effects. 81.8% of studies received a global quality rating of moderate. Emerging data point towards a promising use of VR in BD as an acceptable assessment/intervention tool. However, multiple unstudied domains as comorbidity, relapse and prodromal symptoms should be investigated. Research on children and adolescents is also recommended. Further research and replication of findings are required to disentangle which VR-interventions for which populations and outcomes are effective.

We present the benefits of advanced multimodality imaging and virtual reality modelling in the diagnosis and treatment planning of a child with aneurysms after numerous interventions for treatment of a hypoplastic aortic arch and coarctation.

This paper proposes a virtual reality-based dual-mode teleoperation architecture to assist human operators in remotely operating robotic manipulation systems in a safe and flexible way. The architecture, implemented via a finite state machine, enables the operator to switch between two operational modes: the Approach mode, where the operator indirectly controls the robotic system by specifying its target configuration via the immersive virtual reality (VR) interface, and the Telemanip mode, where the operator directly controls the robot end-effector motion via input devices. The two independent control modes have been tested along the task of reaching a glass on a table by a sample population of 18 participants. Two working groups have been considered to distinguish users with previous experience with VR technologies from the novices. The results of the user study presented in this work show the potential of the proposed architecture in terms of usability, both physical and mental workload, and user satisfaction. Finally, a statistical analysis showed no significant differences along these three metrics between the two considered groups demonstrating ease of use of the proposed architecture by both people with and with no previous experience in VR.

David Chalmers argues that virtual reality is a genuine kind of reality. In one of its readings, this “virtual realism” states that virtual entities ontologically depend on real digital entities. This article explores that suggestion and offers a novel account of the dependence of the virtual on the digital. Drawing on Lynne Rudder Baker's theory of constitution, we contend that virtual objects should be seen as constituted by digital objects, when these are placed in certain favourable circumstances. We explore the rationale and implications of this view, which we see as a promising form of virtual realism.

Immersive learning technologies offer K–12 English learners simulated contexts for language acquisition through virtual interactions, influencing learner attitudes and enhancing cross-curricular skills. While past literature reviews have explored learners’ English skills and emotions, few have delved into the learning effectiveness of immersive technologies for K–12 students. This systematic review analyzed 33 studies from 2012 to 2021, focusing on research designs, the role of immersive technologies in English learning, and the theoretical underpinnings of these studies. Results highlight the methods used to gauge learning effectiveness, the ways immersive technologies bolster learners’ attitudes and skills, and a noticeable gap in theoretical grounding. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Experiences that take place in virtual reality (VR) become part of users’ autobiographical memory. As memories can impact users’ self-perception, personal beliefs, and social interactions, storyliving in VR narratives can be used to manipulate memory and mould users’ self according to the preferences of the VR narrative creators. Poland's Ministry of Culture and National Heritage has, in recent years, generously invested in the production of VR films that depict events from the Polish historical canon. VR is a spatial technology that positions users ‘inside’ a virtual storyworld and leverages users’ sense of body position and movement to enhance memory and a sense of presence. Three dimensions of presence – self, social, and spatial – are relevant to understanding the role of VR in the politics of memory. The article interrogates a recent Polish VR production, Wiktoria 1920 (2020, dir. Tomasz Dobosz), and argues that VR representations exploit a sense of presence to shape users’ memory, perspective, and emotions in relation to the past.

Using virtual reality (VR) in an experimental setting, we analyse how communicating more openly about a medical incident influences patients' feelings and behavioural intentions. Using VR headsets, participants were immersed in an actual hospital room where they were told by a physician that a medical incident had occurred. In a given scenario, half of the participants were confronted by a physician who communicated openly about the medical incident, while the other half were confronted with the exact same scenario except that the physician employed a very defensive communication strategy. The employed technology allowed us to keep everything else in the environment constant. Participants exposed to open disclosure were significantly more likely to take further steps (such as contacting a lawyer to discuss options and filing a complaint against the hospital) and express more feelings of blame against the physician. At the same time, these participants rated the physician's communication skills and general impression more highly than those who were confronted with a defensive physician. Nevertheless, communicating openly about the medical incident does not affect trust in the physician and his competence, perceived incident severity and likelihood of changing physician and filing suit.