Investigating The Acceptability and Validity of a Novel VR Paradigm that Simulates Audio-verbal Hallucinations

There is a growing use of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies in psychosis research and intervention. Although initial developments appear to be safe, effective and enjoyable, qualitative reporting of participants’ experiences of simulated psychotic-like experiences is lacking. Given the infancy of VR as a research tool, indicators that such investigations are important in developing safe, acceptable and conceptually valid tools. Fifty non-clinical participants undertook an experimental trial involving an immersive VR experience that simulated auditory hallucinations (VR-sAH). Cardiac parameters were taken to assess psychophysiological responses. Distress was recorded and constructed as drop outs, objective distress during the experiment, and self-reported Subjective Units of Distress post-experiment. Following the experiment, a subset of participants (n = 14) undertook semi-structured interviews guided by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Overall the VR-sAH was found to be an acceptable research tool. Participant interview highlighted key concerns moving forward with the tool development including ethical considerations regarding the use of clinical participants. Future research should examine the acceptability of VR-sAH in clinical populations.