VR Mindfulness for People With HIV and Substance Use

Virtual Reality Mindfulness Intervention for Supporting People With HIV and Substance Use

The goal of this clinical trial is to explore whether a virtual reality (VR) mindfulness app is acceptable, appropriate, and feasible for supporting people with HIV and substance use problems.

Participants will:

• Use a VR headset with a mindfulness app at home;
• Complete three online surveys over three months;
• Take part in an individual interview or focus group to share their experiences.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Able to speak, read, and write in English
• Aged 18 years or older
• Diagnosed with HIV
• Currently prescribed ART therapy
• Reporting moderate to high risk related to alcohol, opioids, nicotine, cannabis, or stimulant use (score of 4 or higher on the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test - ASSIST). Participants may also use other substances, but the primary risk must fall within these categories, as these have the strongest research support for mindfulness-based interventions.
• Having stable housing that allow using VR safely
• Willing to provide contact information for at least one person whom the study team can reach if the participant becomes unreachable after repeated attempts

Exclusion Criteria:

• Living in institutionalized settings or unsheltered
• Terminal illness with a life expectancy of less than 6 months
• Planning to move out of the area in the next eight weeks
• Engaging in regular mindfulness practice outside of TRIPP
• Experiencing fear of closed spaces or unable to tolerate wearing a VR headset (verified during orientation session)
• Having visual or auditory impairments or severe physical disabilities that hinder VR use, history of seizures, severe cognitive impairment, severe motion sickness, severe unmanaged psychiatric symptoms, or currently pregnant
• Participants without home internet access will not be excluded and will be provided either funding for internet service or VR headsets preloaded with TRIPP sessions for offline use.