Not Yet RecruitingNot Applicable

PIONEERING XR TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PROMOTION OF RESILIENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH OF THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE

Austria, Croatia, Germany232 participantsStarted 2026-09

Plain-language summary

This study investigates the effectiveness of an extended reality (XR) based resilience training program designed to support the mental health and well-being of nurses working in hospital settings. Nurses are exposed to high emotional, cognitive, and organizational demands and show elevated levels of work-related stress and stress-associated mental health problems. Strengthening resilience and coping capacities is therefore an important preventive approach to support nurses' well-being and sustain quality of care. The study is conducted as a pragmatic randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control group and includes approximately 232 nurses from hospitals in several European countries. Participants are randomly assigned either to an XR-based resilience training group or to a waitlist control group that continues with care as usual during the waiting period. The XR-based intervention consists of eight immersive training sessions delivered over approximately ten weeks using a head-mounted display. The training focuses on behavioral, cognitive, and emotional coping strategies and aims to enhance key resilience factors such as problem-solving, cognitive reappraisal, emotion regulation, and positive self-care. The primary outcome is perceived stress, assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale. Secondary outcomes include resilience, occupational self-efficacy, quality of life, psychological distress, burnout symptoms, coping strategies, work-related rumination, and turnover intentions. Assessments are conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 20-week follow-up. In addition, a subgroup of participants will optionally provide physiological data during selected XR sessions to explore digital biomarkers related to stress and recovery. The findings of this study will provide evidence on the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptance of XR-based resilience training for nurses and inform future implementation of digital mental health interventions in healthcare workplaces.

Who can participate

Age range18 Years – 65 Years

SexALL

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Inclusion criteria

✓. working as a nurse in direct patient care within a clinical setting;
✓. working at least 10h/week in their profession;
✓. speaking the language in which the RCT is conducted sufficiently well;
✓. able and willing to participate in all aspects of the study;
✓. understanding and signing the appropriate informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria

✕. a diagnosed severe mental disorder associated with alterations in reality perception (e.g., delusions, hallucinations, derealization, depersonalization, or dementia), including in particular schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe major depressive disorder, or other psychotic disorders (lifetime);
✕. a current major depressive episode or a current post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD);
✕. an acute or clinically significant medical condition that may interfere with the safe use of an XR headset or study participation, including but not limited to epilepsy, pronounced dizziness, balance disorders, or acute cardiovascular conditions;

What they're measuring

Perceived Stress

Timeframe: Baseline and 10 weeks post-randomization

Trial details

NCT IDNCT07544498

SponsorMedical University of Graz

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2028-03

Contact for this trial

Nina Dalkner Research Prof. Priv.-Doz. Mag. rer.nat. Dr. rer.nat.

+43 316 385 30081 nina.dalkner@medunigraz.at

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More Occupational Stress trials