Cognicia
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): October

Virtual reality social exposure for social anxiety in bullying victims

Baiq Ade Winanda Agustia Ayu (University of Muhammadiyah Malang)
Sofa Amalia (University of Muhammadiyah Malang)
Miqdad Daly Ahmad (University of Muhammadiyah Malang)
Rachmatul Az-Zahra Ayu Pramutri (University of Muhammadiyah Malang)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Oct 2026

Abstract

Experiences of bullying can have significant psychological consequences, including an increased risk of social anxiety. This study aimed to examine changes in social anxiety following Virtual Reality Social Exposure (VRSE) among bullying victims. A one-group pretest–posttest design without a control group was employed with 12 participants. The intervention consisted of three gradual exposure sessions in virtual environments representing social situations. Social anxiety was measured before and after the intervention, and the data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. The results indicated a statistically significant decrease in social anxiety scores following the intervention (p = 0.002), with a reported effect size of 0.974. These findings suggest that VRSE may be a promising approach for reducing social anxiety among bullying victims. However, the absence of a control group and the small sample size limit conclusions regarding its effectiveness and safety. Further studies with larger samples, control groups, and systematic safety assessments are needed.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

cognicia

Publisher

Subject

Religion Humanities Neuroscience Social Sciences

Description

The scope and the focus of the journal is conceptual proposal and empirical studies in many aspects of cognitive psychology (motivation, cognition and metacognition) with the application in various field such Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, ...