Acceptance of virtual reality to promote attention orientation in children: a qualitative study among children with ADHD and neurotypical development
Background Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) could be a practical tool for supporting ADHD children in learning to manage their symptoms better. However, VR applications are often addressed to the adolescent/adult population only and few studies have applied VR in children with ADHD.Objective To evalua...
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| Format: | Article |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Annals of Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/07853890.2025.2548387 |
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| author | Giuseppina Bernardelli Sara Arlati Arianna Scaglione Elena Saligari Pamela Frigerio Aurora Sotgiu Valeria Flori Daniela Lucini Aglaia Vignoli Andrea Zangiacomi |
| author_facet | Giuseppina Bernardelli Sara Arlati Arianna Scaglione Elena Saligari Pamela Frigerio Aurora Sotgiu Valeria Flori Daniela Lucini Aglaia Vignoli Andrea Zangiacomi |
| author_sort | Giuseppina Bernardelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) could be a practical tool for supporting ADHD children in learning to manage their symptoms better. However, VR applications are often addressed to the adolescent/adult population only and few studies have applied VR in children with ADHD.Objective To evaluate the usability and acceptance of a custom-designed VR environment in children with ADHD and with neurotypical development.Methods Nine children aged between 7-11 with ADHD and ten age-matched children with typical development were enrolled and tried the VR environment once. Questionnaires were administered to evaluate technology acceptance and children’s satisfaction. Objective data recorded by the VR application and observations from the therapists while supervising children’s interactions within the virtual scenario were also taken into account.Results No significant differences emerged among the two groups for any of the investigated variables. Satisfaction with the experience was high in both groups. Children specified that they found the VR application very fun, well-organized, and suitable for use. There was a tendency toward a greater appreciation for the usefulness of the VR application among ADHD children compared with their neurotypical peers.Conclusions Results suggest that, beyond individual characteristics and ADHD presence, children generally exhibited a positive attitude toward VR technology; the potential for retaining high levels of involvement, which can positively influence motivation and treatment compliance, was highlighted, thus making the proposed VR environment suitable for future clinical use. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-98e0b2dea8bb42d5a35cde18e8519982 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0785-3890 1365-2060 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Annals of Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-98e0b2dea8bb42d5a35cde18e85199822025-08-20T09:40:37ZengTaylor & Francis GroupAnnals of Medicine0785-38901365-20602025-12-0157110.1080/07853890.2025.2548387Acceptance of virtual reality to promote attention orientation in children: a qualitative study among children with ADHD and neurotypical developmentGiuseppina Bernardelli0Sara Arlati1Arianna Scaglione2Elena Saligari3Pamela Frigerio4Aurora Sotgiu5Valeria Flori6Daniela Lucini7Aglaia Vignoli8Andrea Zangiacomi9DISCCO Department, University of Milan, Milan, ItalyInstitute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing, National Research Council, Lecco, ItalyUniversity of Milan, Milan, ItalyUniversity of Milan, Milan, ItalyChildhood and Adolescence Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, ASST GOM Niguarda, Milan, ItalyUniversity of Milan, Milan, ItalyScientific Institute IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, LC, ItalyExercise Medicine Unit, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, ItalyChildhood and Adolescence Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, ASST GOM Niguarda, Milan, ItalyInstitute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing, National Research Council, Milan, ItalyBackground Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) could be a practical tool for supporting ADHD children in learning to manage their symptoms better. However, VR applications are often addressed to the adolescent/adult population only and few studies have applied VR in children with ADHD.Objective To evaluate the usability and acceptance of a custom-designed VR environment in children with ADHD and with neurotypical development.Methods Nine children aged between 7-11 with ADHD and ten age-matched children with typical development were enrolled and tried the VR environment once. Questionnaires were administered to evaluate technology acceptance and children’s satisfaction. Objective data recorded by the VR application and observations from the therapists while supervising children’s interactions within the virtual scenario were also taken into account.Results No significant differences emerged among the two groups for any of the investigated variables. Satisfaction with the experience was high in both groups. Children specified that they found the VR application very fun, well-organized, and suitable for use. There was a tendency toward a greater appreciation for the usefulness of the VR application among ADHD children compared with their neurotypical peers.Conclusions Results suggest that, beyond individual characteristics and ADHD presence, children generally exhibited a positive attitude toward VR technology; the potential for retaining high levels of involvement, which can positively influence motivation and treatment compliance, was highlighted, thus making the proposed VR environment suitable for future clinical use.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/07853890.2025.2548387Immersive environmentneurodevelopmental disorderattention disorderdigital technologiesrehabilitation |
| spellingShingle | Giuseppina Bernardelli Sara Arlati Arianna Scaglione Elena Saligari Pamela Frigerio Aurora Sotgiu Valeria Flori Daniela Lucini Aglaia Vignoli Andrea Zangiacomi Acceptance of virtual reality to promote attention orientation in children: a qualitative study among children with ADHD and neurotypical development Annals of Medicine Immersive environment neurodevelopmental disorder attention disorder digital technologies rehabilitation |
| title | Acceptance of virtual reality to promote attention orientation in children: a qualitative study among children with ADHD and neurotypical development |
| title_full | Acceptance of virtual reality to promote attention orientation in children: a qualitative study among children with ADHD and neurotypical development |
| title_fullStr | Acceptance of virtual reality to promote attention orientation in children: a qualitative study among children with ADHD and neurotypical development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acceptance of virtual reality to promote attention orientation in children: a qualitative study among children with ADHD and neurotypical development |
| title_short | Acceptance of virtual reality to promote attention orientation in children: a qualitative study among children with ADHD and neurotypical development |
| title_sort | acceptance of virtual reality to promote attention orientation in children a qualitative study among children with adhd and neurotypical development |
| topic | Immersive environment neurodevelopmental disorder attention disorder digital technologies rehabilitation |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/07853890.2025.2548387 |
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