In addition to the physical symptoms that go along with COPD, like shortness of breath and coughing, patients with the condition can also experience mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression. A recent study suggests that virtual reality (VR) may be a useful tool in dealing with those symptoms.
The paper, “Effects of Virtual Reality Interventions on Anxiety and Depression in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis,” was published in the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
The researchers conducted a systematic search of 11 databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Laboratory and more, to extract data from the inception of each database through Feb. 11, 2026. A total of 1,767 records were identified. Out of those records, 10 studies were chosen based on specific inclusion criteria, and nine studies were ultimately included in the review and analysis.
A meta-analysis of the results of each study found that VR-based interventions “significantly reduced anxiety levels compared with the control group,” the authors wrote. A similar result was found with VR usage and managing depression in patients with COPD.
Delving further into the data, the researchers looked at immersive versus nonimmersive VR modality and found that immersive VR had greater efficacy than nonimmersive VR for both anxiety and depression, although both modes showed positive results.
Interestingly, in studies in which the control group received conventional pulmonary rehabilitation, no statistically significant difference in anxiety improvement was observed between the VR and the control groups. However, when the control group received only routine care or health education, VR produced a large improvement in anxiety symptoms.
Exercise-based VR interventions demonstrated significantly greater improvements in anxiety symptoms compared with the control group. For breathing or relaxation training-based VR interventions, the results were not statistically significant. But mixed interventions combining exercise with breathing and relaxation training showed “significant improvements in anxiety symptoms with large effect sizes,” the authors reported.
Overall, the researchers wrote, “This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that VR-based interventions may reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with COPD compared with conventional PR or standard care.”
However, they added that these findings “should be interpreted with caution” and “rather than being considered an established effective intervention, VR should currently be viewed as a promising approach whose benefits require further validation.”
