Virtual reality (VR) technology can be used to treat anxiety symptoms and disorders. However, most VR interventions for anxiety have been therapist guided rather than self-guided. This systematic review aimed to examine the effectiveness and user experience (i.e., usability, acceptability, safety, and attrition rates) of self-guided VR therapy interventions in people with any anxiety condition as well as provide future research directions. Peer-reviewed journal articles reporting on self-guided VR interventions for anxiety were sought from the Cochrane Library, IEEE Explore Digital Library, PsycINFO, PubMED, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Study data from the eligible articles were extracted, tabulated, and addressed with a narrative synthesis. A total of 21 articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings revealed that self-guided VR interventions for anxiety can provide an effective treatment of social anxiety disorder, public speaking anxiety, and specific phobias. User experiences outcomes of safety, usability, and acceptability were generally positive and the average attrition rate was low. However, there was a lack of standardised assessments to measure user experiences. Self-guided VR for anxiety can provide an engaging approach for effectively and safely treating common anxiety conditions. Nevertheless, more experimental studies are required to examine their use in underrepresented anxiety populations, their long-term treatment effects beyond 12 months, and compare their effectiveness against other self-help interventions for anxiety (e.g., internet interventions and bibliotherapy).

翻译：虚拟现实（VR）技术可用于治疗焦虑症状及相关障碍。然而，目前大多数针对焦虑的VR干预措施均需治疗师引导，而非自导式。本系统性综述旨在探讨自导式VR疗法干预对各类焦虑症患者的有效性及用户体验（即可用性、可接受性、安全性与脱落率），并为未来研究方向提供建议。研究通过检索Cochrane Library、IEEE Explore Digital Library、PsycINFO、PubMed、Scopus及Web of Science数据库，筛选出报告自导式VR干预治疗焦虑症的同行评审期刊论文。对符合条件文献的研究数据进行提取、制表，并通过叙述性综合法进行分析。共计21篇文献符合纳入标准。研究结果表明，自导式VR干预可有效治疗社交焦虑障碍、公开演讲焦虑及特定恐惧症。在安全性、可用性与可接受性等用户体验指标上总体反馈积极，平均脱落率较低。然而，当前缺乏评估用户体验的标准化测量工具。自导式VR疗法为常见焦虑症提供了一种兼具吸引力、有效性及安全性的治疗途径。未来仍需更多实验研究，以验证其在代表性不足的焦虑人群中的适用性，探究其超过12个月的长期疗效，并与其他焦虑症自助干预措施（如网络干预与阅读疗法）进行效果比较。