Authors: (including presenting author): :
Siu C K(1)(2), Lau C Y(1)(2), Tsui C S(1)(2), Ma K C(1)(2), Wong C H(1)(2), Lo, C K (1)(2)
Affiliation: :
General Adult Psychiatry (GAP), Castle Peak Hospital
Keyword 2: :
Community Living Skill Training
Keyword 3: :
Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Keyword 4: :
Smart Hospital
Introduction: :
Patients with severe mental illness (SMI) frequently encounter difficulties in society reintegration after discharge due to community living skills deficit. Effectiveness of conventional training for community living skills in in-patient setting is hampered by limited manpower, infection control restrictions, and scarce real-world practice. Virtual reality (VR)-based interventions may breakthrough constraints of conventional training to evolve to be an immersive, safe and cost-effective alternative in this regard.
Objectives: :
1. To assess the effectiveness of VR-based community living skills training program for adult in-patients with SMI. 2. To evaluate the enhancements in community living skills (primary outcome). 3. To evaluate the reductions in stress & anxiety levels and improvements in quality of life (secondary outcome).
Methodology: :
A prospective and two-armed pilot training program was conducted in a male rehabilitation ward & Centre for In-patient Daytime Program (CIDP) in Castle Peak Hospital. 30 participants diagnosed with SMI were recruited through convenience sampling and allocated (1:1 ratio) to either VR group or control group (psychoeducation group). The VR group received a four-session training (one hour per session) which included VR simulations, lectures, and group discussions whereas psychoeducation group received usual lectures and group discussion. For the primary outcome, participants were assessed with St. Louis Inventory of Community Living Skills – Chinese Version (SLICLS-C). For the secondary outcome, participants were evaluated by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 Chinese Version (C-DASS-21) and the WHOQOL-BREF (Hong Kong Chinese version). Measurements were taken at baseline and immediately post intervention. Data was analyzed through SPSS Version 30.
Result & Outcome: :
30 participants (15 per group) were invited to the training program, and 26 participants (13 per group) completed the program. Both VR and psychoeducation group showed significant improvement in SLICLS-C with large effect size (VR: Z = 2.984, p =.003, r =.828; Psychoeducation: Z = 2.714, p = .007, r = .75). The VR group showed significantly greater improvement in community living skills than the control group with medium effect size (U = 40.5, p = 0.022, r = 0.45). No statistically significant changes were observed in stress, anxiety, or quality of life, although trends favoured the VR group. Inter-rater reliability for SLICLS-C was excellent (ICC = 0.979). Participant satisfaction was high (mean score = 73.23/85). The results supported that VR-based training is a promising method to enhance community living skills in psychiatric rehabilitation settings. Future studies with diverse scenarios and larger sample sizes are recommended.
