JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Young adults (15-24 years old) living with HIV may suffer pressure both from HIV infection and social role change problems, resulting in a series of psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. Effective psychological intervention can improve their mental health, then improve their quality of life. The traditional face-to-face intervention process may make young adults living with HIV generate resistance because of the risk of privacy exposure. At the same time, the adherence to mental intervention based on mobile or the Internet is poor so it is difficult to ensure effective implementation. In recent years, the Application and advantages of virtual reality (VR) in children's psychotherapy provide new ideas for psychological intervention for young adults living with HIV. Therefore, we use the qualitative interviews and questionnaires results as well as guided by classical psychotherapy to create a personalized psychological intervention system for young adults living with HIV through virtual reality technology, which is based on the long-term AIDS treatment cohort and infectious diseases cohort of children. We use the mental scales and biochemical indexes as the outcomes, conducting a prospective randomized controlled trial to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the VR psychological intervention system. The study results might provide a scientific basis for accurate psychological treatment among young adults living with HIV in the future.