Developing an Immersive Virtual Reality Platform (VR Support)

September 15, 2025 updated by: Vesile Koak, Necmettin Erbakan University

Developing an Immersive Virtual Reality Platform to Support Birth Preparedness and Mental Wellbeing in Pregnant Women

This study is a two-stage, mixed-method, pre-test post-test design aimed at developing and testing an immersive VR intervention for new mothers. This research is 2-arm a 4-week prospective randomized clinical trial

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is an intervention-based study. The first phase of the research will focus on developing the intervention, which will involve the creation of a virtual labyrinth. The concept of "Labyrinth of Birth," was popularized by Pam England. This approach uses the labyrinth as a metaphor to represent the emotional and psychological journey of labor and childbirth. In this model, the mother mentally "walks" through a labyrinth, symbolizing the unique challenges, introspections, and transformations of labor (England, 1998). In this study, the period from pregnancy to birth will be represented as a labyrinth walk with the education, self awarness and motivation content. The content will focus on how to best prepare the mothers during this journey. The content will be revised and finalized based on expert feedback panel, including academics with expertise in pregnancy, childbirth, mental health, VR, until it is deemed appropriate. Then the content will be transferred to a the VR environment. An expert team will be assembled to design the digital labyrinth, and it will be made accessible through VR HMDs. The second phase of the study will focus on testing the intervention.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
68

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • The pregnant women between the ages of 18-49
  • Primiparous
  • At least 20 weeks of gestation
  • Single pregnancy
  • Without any visual and hearing problems andcan communicate verbally are included to this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant women with multiple pregnancies were multiparous
  • Risky pregnancy, and did not accept participation in the study will excluded from the study.
  • Individuals with a history of any psychiatric disorder (eg, mood disorder or anxiety disorder) will excluded from this study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experiment
According to international guidelines (e.g., WHO, ACOG, APA), consistent and frequent antenatal care contacts are recommended throughout pregnancy. While a specific number of sessions is not always defined, these guidelines emphasize the importance of providing information within the framework of birth preparedness and complication readiness during these visits. Furthermore, childbirth education programs are encouraged to incorporate psychoeducation and mindfulness-based approaches to support maternal psychological well-being and informed decision-making. In the systematic review, all included studies showed positive effects of the VR and gamification interventions used, regardless of the frequency, intensity, or duration of the intervention (Jingili et al., 2023). VR program will be implemented three times between 20-36 week. Each session will last approximately 10-20 minutes.
Device: Immersive Virtual Reality Platform to Support Birth Preparedness and Mental Wellbeing

The VR-based intervention will be grounded in a childbirth education framework designed to enhance women's awareness of their attitudes toward childbirth, their readiness for the birthing process, and their expectations related to labor, delivery, and the postpartum period. The program aims to strengthen emotional insight and coping capacities by guiding participants to reflect on their feelings and thoughts throughout the childbirth journey. The intervention will integrate key components such as breath awareness exercises, coping techniques, and motivational messages. While participants receive structured childbirth education, they will simultaneously be supported in developing psychological preparedness through immersive and reflective experiences tailored to foster emotional resilience and self-efficacy.

The digital labyrinth will be designed both visually and functionally to facilitate immersive navigation. It will be set in an expansive virtual landscape enriched with natural elem
No Intervention: Control
The control group will receive only routine antenatal care, and will complete the pre-test and post-test questionnaires without participating in the intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Childbirth Self-Efficacy Scale - Short Form
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Designed by Lowe in 1993 (Lowe, 1993)to measure the selfconfidence and coping skills of women, CBSEI, consisting of 62 items, was reduced to 32 items by Ip, Chung and Tang in 2008 (Ip et al., 2008). Outcome Expectancy (OE): 16 items evaluating the belief that specific behaviors will lead to desired outcomes during childbirth. The questions in the 10 point Likert type scale are scored between 1 and 10. The scale consists of two subdimensions, each containing 16 questions: "Result Expectation" and "Efficacy Expectation". Self-Efficacy Expectancy (EE): 16 items assessing the confidence in one's ability to perform those behaviors effectively. Scoring: Each item is rated on a 10-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy. The CBSEI scales have excellent internal consistency reliability (.86 to .96)
4 weeks
Childbirth Self-Efficacy Scale - Short Form
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 4 weeks
Designed by Lowe in 1993 (Lowe, 1993)to measure the selfconfidence and coping skills of women, CBSEI, consisting of 62 items, was reduced to 32 items by Ip, Chung and Tang in 2008 (Ip et al., 2008). Outcome Expectancy (OE): 16 items evaluating the belief that specific behaviors will lead to desired outcomes during childbirth. The questions in the 10 point Likert type scale are scored between 1 and 10. The scale consists of two subdimensions, each containing 16 questions: "Result Expectation" and "Efficacy Expectation". Self-Efficacy Expectancy (EE): 16 items assessing the confidence in one's ability to perform those behaviors effectively. Scoring: Each item is rated on a 10-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy. The CBSEI scales have excellent internal consistency reliability (.86 to .96)
From enrollment to the end of the intervention at 4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Necmettin Erbakan University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 7, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 3, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 8, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 16, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 15, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 03072025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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