VIRTUSNCT07375199

Reducing Mental Health Stigmatization Among Healthcare Workers and Students Using a Virtual Reality Protocol: The VIRTUS Protocol

StatusRecruiting

PhaseNot applicable

SponsorCentre Hospitalier Henri Laborit

Primary completionSep 2028 (estimated)

At risk: Primary completion moved at least 5 months later.

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Record History

All 2 versions: 2 with changes below. See every version on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Notable Oct 20, 2026 Recruitment opened Show 6 more changesShow less
- Start date changed from estimate of Mar 1, 2026 to Aug 17, 2026
- Primary and study completion pushed from Mar 2028 to Sep 2028
- Study sites: 1 to 2
- Eligibility criteria expanded, about 14 words
- Secondary endpoints: details revised at 7 of 7 entries
- Publications: details revised at 1 of 1 entry
Jan 21, 2026 Study First Submitted

Notable: the plan changed

Endpoints

Primary

Explicit stigma - 1 month follow up

Timeframe: Baseline and 1 month after intervention

Secondary (7)

Implicit stigma - 1 month follow up

Explicit stigma - Immediate effect

Implicit stigma - Immediate effect

Attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia - 1 month follow up

Behaviors toward individuals with schizophrenia - 1 month follow up

Show 2 moreShow less

Attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia - immediate effect

Behaviors toward individuals with schizophrenia - immediate effect

Arms and interventions

SchizophreniaExperimental

The protocol involves two short VR scenarios. In the intervention condition only ("schizophrenia"), both scenarios will simulate auditory and visual hallucinations and persecutory delusions, to immerse participants in the experience of someone living with schizophrenia.

CONTROLActive comparator

The protocol involves two short VR scenarios. In the control condition participant will see the same VR video, without auditory and visual hallucinations or persecutory delusions.

Other: VIRTUS, VR Control

Sites

2 sites in 1 country

About this trial

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder, frequently associated with stigma, including within healthcare settings, that significantly impairs quality of life and symptoms. Virtual Reality (VR), as an immersive tool, may allow healthy individuals to experience the first-person perspective of a patient undergoing psychotic symptoms. VR exposure may facilitate perspective-taking, fosters empathy, and studies suggest VR could be a valuable tool to reduce stigma. However, the findings remain incomplete, with considerable variation between protocols and no data on implicit stigma. This study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a VR protocol simulating psychotic symptoms on explicit and implicit stigma. Methods and Analysis A randomized controlled trial involving 128 participants will be conducted. Participants will include healthcare workers and students (medicine, nursing, or psychology) recruited from CH Henri Laborit in Poitiers (France), Poitiers University Hospital, CH Nord-Deux-Sèvres in Thouars (France), and the University of Poitiers. Recruitment will take place over a two-year period. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. The protocol involves two short VR scenarios. In the intervention condition only, both scenarios will simulate auditory and visual hallucinations and persecutory delusions, to immerse participants in the experience of someone living with schizophrenia. Stigma will be assessed before the VR intervention, immediately afterward, and at one-month follow-up. Assessment will be conducted using self-report scales (Attribution Questionnaire-27 items by Corrigan et al., 2003 (AQ-27), Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill, Taylor \& Dear 1981 (CAMI) and Reported and Intended Behavior Scale by Evans-Lacko et al., 2011 (RIBS) for explicit stigma, and a behavioural test (Implicit Association Task, Greenwald, McGhee et Schwartz en 1998 (IAT)) for the implicit stigma. The primary outcome is the reduction in stigma toward individuals with schizophrenia, assessed with the AQ-27 scale, from baseline to the one-month follow-up, comparing the intervention and control groups. The expected result is a greater reduction in stigma in the intervention group compared to the control group. Secondary outcomes include a one-month reduction in implicit associations, immediate post-intervention effects on stigma, changes in self-reported prejudice and discrimination over time. Ethics and Dissemination All participants receive both oral and written information and provided signed informed consent. The study is under review from the French Research Ethics Committee (reference number: 2025-A01472-47). Results will be disseminated through presentations, conferences, and publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Trial details

Enrollment: 128 participants (estimated)
Started: Aug 17, 2026
Study completion: Sep 2028 (estimated)
Eligibility: 18 to 65, all sexes, healthy volunteers accepted
Design: Interventional, randomized, single blind, health services research
Conditions: Schizophrenia, Social Stigma, Schizophrenia Disorder
Official title: Reducing Mental Health Stigmatization Among Healthcare Workers and Students Using a Virtual Reality Protocol: The VIRTUS Protocol, a Randomized Controlled Trial
First posted: Jan 29, 2026
Registry updated: Oct 22, 2026
Last verified: Oct 2026

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