Abstract
Aggression is a persistent challenge among school-aged children, undermining academic performance, social interaction and psychological well-being. Conventional behavioral interventions often fail to engage this generation effectively, particularly Generation Alpha, growing up in an immersive/digital environment. In this generation, aggression can be addressed by utilizing technology enabled solutions, i.e., virtual reality, that can be both engaging and accessible. The objectives of the present study are (i) to evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy in reducing aggression, (ii) to assess the impact of virtual reality-assisted cognitive behavior therapy to improve emotion regulation, problem solving and social skills, and (iii) to examine the feasibility of virtual reality-assisted cognitive behavior therapy in school-aged children. The expected contribution of the current study is to provide empirical evidence for integrating technology-driven virtual reality assisted cognitive behavior therapy in schools to improve their skills acquisition. Moreover, the study will generate practical insight for the scalability of technology-based intervention to reduce aggression among children in schools.
Keywords: aggression, cognitive behavior therapy, virtual reality, children, pilot randomized controlled trial, Pakistan