ReviewFrontiers in psychology2026
Immersive metaverse art as a psychological intervention for depression and anxiety: a narrative review and multilevel model integrating engagement, cultural identity, and neurocognitive mechanisms.
Review in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Depression and anxiety rank among the leading causes of global disability, yet traditional treatments reach only a minority of affected individuals. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated this crisis, triggering a ~ 25% worldwide surge in anxiety and depression prevalence. In parallel, immersive digital environments (the "metaverse") are maturing as platforms for creative expression and social connection. This review proposes that immersive metaverse art - interactive art experiences in VR/AR - can act as a multilevel psychobehavioral modulator. We integrate recent evidence showing that such experiences enhance engagement (flow, presence), enable identity exploration (customizable avatars, cultural narratives), and engage neurocognitive systems (reward, attention, regulation). Empirical studies of VR art interventions report acute mood improvements, stress reduction, and greater social connectedness. We synthesize these findings into a conceptual model linking core components (immersion, creative agency, social avatar, cultural symbolism) to mediating processes (flow, meaning-making, belonging) and outcomes (symptom relief, emotional regulation, behavioral activation). Rather than examining these domains as separate interdisciplinary themes, the review integrates them within a unified clinical framework focused on transdiagnostic mechanisms relevant to depression and anxiety. We compare immersive art therapy with traditional art therapy, noting unique advantages (scalability, personalization) and novel risks (overdependence, identity diffusion). Finally, we outline translational pathways - e.g. integrating VR art with cognitive therapies and highlight the need for rigorous trials and cross-cultural validation. Overall, immersive metaverse art emerges as a promising, if nascent, approach to mental health intervention, warranting further empirical and ethical scrutiny.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.