Promoting mental health and preventing emotional disorders in vulnerable adolescent girls through VR-based extreme sports

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) significantly impairs emotional regulation in adolescent girls, often manifesting as elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Given the limited efficacy of pharmacological treatments, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR)-based extreme sports as a non-pharmacological intervention for reducing depression, anxiety, and stress in this vulnerable population. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test assessments was employed, involving 130 adolescent girls diagnosed with SAD, who were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups (n = 65 each). Emotional states were measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Levene's test confirmed homogeneity of variance, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test indicated normal distribution. Between-group differences were analyzed using ANCOVA, controlling for baseline scores. Results demonstrated that the intervention group exhibited significantly greater reductions in depression (F = 42.18, p < .001, η² = 0.248), anxiety (F = 48.92, p < .001, η² = 0.277), and stress (F = 45.63, p < .001, η² = 0.263) compared to the control group. These findings suggest that immersive VR-based extreme sports represent a promising, non-pharmacological approach for alleviating depression, anxiety, and stress in adolescents with SAD. By offering a safe and engaging virtual environment, this intervention may enhance emotional resilience, mitigate psychological distress, and contribute to the development of accessible digital tools for youth mental health promotion programs.