BullyingEYP-VRNCT07148219
EMBRACE YOUR POWER
A study testing Embrace Your Power: A VR Journey to Overcome Negative Emotions in people with Bullying and Distress, run by University of Bucharest at 1 site in Romania.
Trial summary
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test the effectiveness of an educational tool, based on virtual reality (VR), for preventing and combating bullying and for improving the emotional well-being of pre-adolescent students. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 10 to 14 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Bullying, Distress, Bullying Victimisation
- What is being tested?
- Embrace Your Power: A VR Journey to Overcome Negative Emotions
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- 1 siteRomania
- Study dates
- Oct 2025to Jan 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 10 to 14 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Students 5th and 6th grade
- Students whose parents have given their consent and who have also agreed to participate in the program
Who cannot join
- Medical problems that have VR-based procedures as contraindicated because they can induce dizziness, seizures, nausea:
- epilepsy
- presence of seizures
- severe motion sickness- vestibular disorders
- significant vision problems that would interfere with the use of the headset
- severe migraines triggered by exposure to screens
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- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Autism spectrum disorder- level 3 of severity or sensory processing disorders
- ADHD, if hyperactivity would prevent the student from staying in the exercise for longer
- Points a) and b) do not represent automatic exclusion criteria, because depending on the judgment of the school counselor, the parent and the teacher, it is possible that a participant will be able to complete the program.
- Severe mental disorders: psychotic spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, present suicidal ideation
- If children have an extremely low level of literacy perceived by the teacher and counselor, and this aspect would prevent them from participating in the program.
- Parallel participation in other bullying prevention programs.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: Embrace Your Power: A VR Journey to Overcoming Negative Emotions for Romanian Youth
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test the effectiveness of an educational tool, based on virtual reality (VR), for preventing and combating bullying and for improving the emotional well-being of pre-adolescent students.
Participants will be allocated to one of two conditions:
- (1) intervention group: Embrace your power intervention for combating bullying;
- (2) waitlist (inactive control): the control group receives intervention after the study ends.
The intervention group will be compared to the control group in terms of peer aggression and victimization (bullying behaviors) and emotional symptoms.
Read the detailed description
This protocol outlines a cluster, parallel-group, exploratory, randomized controlled trial where participants are randomly allocated to one of the two groups: intervention or control.
- The main objective is to implement and assess the effectiveness of the program for combating bullying through virtual reality. The program aims to reduce victimization and bullying behaviors (physical, verbal, and relational aggression) by applying the APRI tool as a result of participating in VR scenarios that simulate these situations and to reduce emotional difficulties and behavioral problems, as well as increase prosocial behavior.
- The included classes will serve as the randomization units. Students aged between 10 and 14 years, (5th and 6th grades from middle schools) will participate in the study. The intervention will last 7 weeks, and the two groups will be assessed at (1) pre-intervention (baseline), (2) middle of the intervention (week 3 or 4), and (3) post-intervention. The data analysis will focus on improvement in outcomes between and within groups.
- Conditions
- Bullying, Distress, Bullying Victimisation
- Being tested
- Embrace Your Power: A VR Journey to Overcome Negative Emotions
- Keywords
- randomized controlled trial, bullying, virtual reality, distress
- Medical subject headings
- Bullying
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Embrace Your Power: A VR Journey to Overcome Negative EmotionsBehavioural
EYP-VR represents a virtual reality (VR) educational tool to combat bullying. Using Meta Quest 3 passthrough technology, the app combines real-world classroom elements with immersive virtual scenarios, enabling safe and interactive experiences that simulate bullying situations but that do not place students in the roles of victims or aggressors but heroes or protectors.
The app guides participants through narrative episodes focused on building empathy, practicing assertiveness, and learning conflict resolution techniques. AI-driven characters dynamically respond to students' actions as they engage in puzzles, and sensory feedback (visual, auditory, and haptic) reinforces key socio-emotional learning outcomes.
The program will take place in classrooms during instructional hours. Each session will end with a feedback phase so that the school counselor can manage any issues that interest them.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | VR program for preventing and combating bullying Receives: Behavioral: Embrace Your Power: A VR Journey to Overcome Negative Emotions |
| Waitlist | No intervention | The control group receives the intervention after the study ends. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Bullying behaviors
Bullying behaviors will be measured using the Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (APRI) -C2. The instrument encompasses bullying victimization, perpetration, and bystander experiences. APRI represents a psychometric tool that measures teens' experiences with bullying and victimization through 36 items rated on a 6-point Likert scale (1= never, 6= every day).
Measured: Pre-intervention (baseline), middle intervention, post-intervention (week 7)
Secondary outcomes (1)
Emotional symptoms
Emotional distress will be assessed using the Emotional Symptoms subscale from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire - SDQ (Romanian self-report). The instrument consists of 25 items, and 5 items are representative of emotional symptoms. Items are rated on a 3-point Likert scale where 1= untrue and 3= certainly true.
Measured: Pre-intervention (baseline), middle intervention, post-intervention (week 7)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Aug 2025
- Study startOct 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionJan 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for BullyingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- A randomized controlled trial where participants are divided into 2 groups: the intervention group that has access to the virtual reality program for preventing bullying and the inactive control group that receives the intervention after the study ends.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Bucharest
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Remnant Dream SRL
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Cezar Giosan, University of Bucharest
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07148219
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 09242025
- Acronym
- EYP-VR
- Status last verified
- Aug 2025
- First submitted
- 22 Aug 2025
- Last updated
- 29 Aug 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Aug 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Embrace Your Power: A VR Journey to Overcoming Negative Emotions for Romanian Youth
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07148219
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- EYP-VR / 09242025
- Conditions
- Bullying, Distress, Bullying Victimisation
- Keywords
- randomized controlled trial, bullying, virtual reality, distress
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of BucharestUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Remnant Dream SRL
- Study start
- Oct 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jan 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 29 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test the effectiveness of an educational tool, based on virtual reality (VR), for preventing and combating bullying and for improving the emotional well-being of pre-adolescent students.
Participants will be allocated to one of two conditions:
- (1) intervention group: Embrace your power intervention for combating bullying;
- (2) waitlist (inactive control): the control group receives intervention after the study ends.
The intervention group will be compared to the control group in terms of peer aggression and victimization (bullying behaviors) and emotional symptoms.
Detailed description
This protocol outlines a cluster, parallel-group, exploratory, randomized controlled trial where participants are randomly allocated to one of the two groups: intervention or control.
- The main objective is to implement and assess the effectiveness of the program for combating bullying through virtual reality. The program aims to reduce victimization and bullying behaviors (physical, verbal, and relational aggression) by applying the APRI tool as a result of participating in VR scenarios that simulate these situations and to reduce emotional difficulties and behavioral problems, as well as increase prosocial behavior.
- The included classes will serve as the randomization units. Students aged between 10 and 14 years, (5th and 6th grades from middle schools) will participate in the study. The intervention will last 7 weeks, and the two groups will be assessed at (1) pre-intervention (baseline), (2) middle of the intervention (week 3 or 4), and (3) post-intervention. The data analysis will focus on improvement in outcomes between and within groups.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- A randomized controlled trial where participants are divided into 2 groups: the intervention group that has access to the virtual reality program for preventing bullying and the inactive control group that receives the intervention after the study ends.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Embrace Your Power: A VR Journey to Overcome Negative EmotionsVR program for preventing and combating bullying |
| Waitlist | No intervention | –The control group receives the intervention after the study ends. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 10 to 14 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Students 5th and 6th grade
- Students whose parents have given their consent and who have also agreed to participate in the program
Key exclusion criteria (13 listed)
- Medical problems that have VR-based procedures as contraindicated because they can induce dizziness, seizures, nausea:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Points a) and b) do not represent automatic exclusion criteria, because depending on the judgment of the school counselor, the parent and the teacher, it is possible that a participant will be able to complete the program.
- Severe mental disorders: psychotic spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, present suicidal ideation
- If children have an extremely low level of literacy perceived by the teacher and counselor, and this aspect would prevent them from participating in the program.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Embrace Your Power: A VR Journey to Overcome Negative EmotionsEYP-VR represents a virtual reality (VR) educational tool to combat bullying. Using Meta Quest 3 passthrough technology, the app combines real-world classroom elements with immersive virtual scenarios, enabling safe and interactive experiences that simulate bullying situations but that do not place students in the roles of victims or aggressors but heroes or protectors. The app guides participants through narrative episodes focused on building empathy, practicing assertiveness, and learning conflict resolution techniques. AI-driven characters dynamically respond to students' actions as they engage in puzzles, and sensory feedback (visual, auditory, and haptic) reinforces key socio-emotional learning outcomes. The program will take place in classrooms during instructional hours. Each session will end with a feedback phase so that the school counselor can manage any issues that interest them. | Behavioural | Intervention |
Primary outcome
Bullying behaviors
Time frame: Pre-intervention (baseline), middle intervention, post-intervention (week 7)
Bullying behaviors will be measured using the Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (APRI) -C2. The instrument encompasses bullying victimization, perpetration, and bystander experiences. APRI represents a psychometric tool that measures teens' experiences with bullying and victimization through 36 items rated on a 6-point Likert scale (1= never, 6= every day).
1 secondary outcome
Emotional symptoms
Time frame: Pre-intervention (baseline), middle intervention, post-intervention (week 7)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Aug 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Embrace Your Power: A VR Journey to Overcome Negative Emotions in people with Bullying and Distress, run by University of Bucharest at 1 site in Romania.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 13 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Aug 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Romania. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Cezar Giosan, PhD (+40730908050, giosan@outlook.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Bullying behaviors (time frame: Pre-intervention (baseline), middle intervention, post-intervention (week 7)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Aug 2025.