COVID Feel Good – A Self-Help Virtual Therapeutic Experience for Overcoming the Psychological Distress of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a European Multicentric Trial

Abstract

The primary aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of a self-help virtual therapeutic experience (COVID Feel Good) for reducing the psychological burden experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown across different countries. For this purpose, we focused on participants recruited from June 2020 to May 2021 in the context of a European multicenter project including four university/academic sites. Primary outcome measures were depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, perceived stress levels and hopelessness. Secondary outcomes were the experienced social connectedness and the level of fear experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. To assess the efficacy of the intervention in a multicentric context, we evaluated the strength of evidence supporting the COVID Feel Good computing a single summary estimate of the effect across the different countries. Using separate linear mixed-effect models, the most consistent result across the different countries was an improvement of the perceived stress level after the participation in the COVID Feel Good intervention. By pooling the results of the models using a random-effect meta-analysis, we found that COVID Feel Good intervention was associated a decrease in the perceived general distress [mean standardized effect size for general distress in the treatment groups compared to the control conditions was 0.52 (p = 0.007, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.89] and with an increase the perceived social connection [mean standardized effect size for social connection using COVID Feel Good compared to the control conditions was -0.50 (p = < 0.001, 95% CI: -0.76, -0.25)]. Globally findings suggest the efficacy of the proposed protocol and contribute the growing literature supporting the use of digital psychological interventions to reduce the psychological stress among general population during the COVID-19 crisis.

Effectiveness of a Virtual-Reality-Based Self-Help Intervention for Lowering the Psychological Burden during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Iran

“…Consistent with previous findings [34,35], we found that the COVID Feel Good intervention was effective at reducing the psychological distress experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Persian population sample. Our self-help training is based on the immersive 360 • video "Secret Garden," which allows participants to explore a lovely and natural setting while being guided by a validated technique to induce relaxation and self-reflection.…”

“…As part of a larger multicentric project [35], the findings of this study provided more evidence for the protocol's effectiveness across different contexts and countries. The proposed protocol has several advantages for adequately supporting individuals dealing with mental health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic: it provides easy, self-guided training that can be accessed via a variety of digital platforms.…”

“…The protocol, in particular, consists of two integrated parts: a 10-min three-hundred-sixty-degree (360 • ) video titled "The Secret Garden" is shown daily for one week, and this experience is supplemented with social tasks with specific objectives that are designed to be completed with another relevant person. We conducted two preliminary effectiveness studies in Italy [33] and Germany [34] and a multicentric European study [35] in four countries to investigate the efficacy of our self-help virtual therapeutic experience in lowering the psychological burden experienced during the pandemic lockdowns. These preliminary investigations demonstrated a constant reduction in perceived stress following participation in the COVID Feel Good intervention.…”

Technological Innovations in Biobehavioral and Psychosomatic Medicine

“…The overall scope of the current special issue of Psychosomatic Medicine is on “The Impact of Technological Innovation on Biobehavioral and Psychosomatic Medicine.” A comprehensive overview of technological innovations is provided with the goal that these and related innovations will be incorporated into research and clinical practice. The articles in this issue address the following general topics: the use of biological and behavioral sensors that are linked to user smartphones (8–13), the use of technology in clinical settings and issues related to VHs in clinical settings (14,15), digital mental health interventions (16,17), and the importance of reducing health disparities in technological development and implementation of technological innovation (18).…”

“…However, as with all interventions, engagement is paramount to clinical outcomes. Riva et al (16) report the efficacy of the COVID Feel Good virtual reality–based self-help intervention at reducing psychological distress and improving perceived social connections during the COVID-19 lockdowns in four European countries. These findings add to our understanding of how digital therapies can be used at-scale to relieve psychological distress during a pandemic (their intervention can be delivered via smartphone or YouTube and is currently available in 16 languages).…”