JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to address addictive behaviours such as substance use disorders and gambling disorders has been growing. However, little has been done to explore the use of AR and VR in the treatment of other behavioural addictions.

Objective:

This scoping review aims to provide an overview of existing literature on AR and VR interventions for behavioural addictions. Specifically, the research questions are: 1) what behavioural addictions or behavioural harms are being treated using AR and/or VR? and 2) what behavioural addictions/harms treatment interventions are conducted in AR and/or VR?

Methods:

This scoping review was conducted based on the framework first proposed by Arksey and O’Malley, later refined by Levac et al., and further outlined in the JBI Manual for Evidence. The literature was searched in the following databases: CINAHL, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, PubMed and Web of Science, with Google advanced search complementing the search on Feb 22, 2023. Studies were screened by two independent reviewers based on inclusion criteria (all ages; any behavioural addiction, problematic behaviour, or behavioural harm; AR or VR treatments and interventions) and exclusion criteria (pornography, sexual and paraphilic disorders). Discrepancies were resolved by third and fourth reviewers. As this study is a scoping review, risk of bias was not assessed. Data was extracted and presented in tabular form as well as through conceptual analysis as a narrative summary.

Results:

A total of nine studies were included in this review—four studies on video gaming and five studies on gambling behaviours. Participants ranged from 12 to 65 years old. Only the use of VR was identified. VR was used as a platform for cue exposure therapy and skills training in both gaming and gambling disorders. VR therapy was effective alone or in combination with other treatments and was comparable to traditional interventions. No adverse effect was reported in the studies.

Conclusions:

VR is efficacious in treating behavioural addictions and can replace or be used in conjunction with traditional methods. Future directions include using VR with other psychotherapy or relapse prevention, applying VR to treat other addictions, and investigating harmful side effects of VR use. The frequency and duration of sessions can also be optimized. A limitation of this study is that there may be other documents beyond those published and searched in grey literature that could not be included in this review due to time and resource restrictions. Conclusion: The use of AR in the treatment of behavioural addictions did not yield any results in this review. However, VR application in behavioural addiction is promising, potentially efficacious, and capable of multiple applications. However, the state of the current literature is sparse, and the quality of research needs to be evaluated.