User Experience and Socioemotional Evaluation of Virtual Therapist Character Types in a Simulated Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy: Quantitative Study.

In recent years, the prevalence of mood disorders among adolescents has increased globally, posing a major public health challenge. Depression is a common and persistent mental health disorder that typically emerges in childhood and adolescence and may have long-term consequences for psychological, social, and academic functioning. A meta-analysis of Chinese children and adolescents aged 6–15 years reported a prevalence of depressive symptoms of 17.2%. In China, the incidence of bipolar disorder among adolescents increased from 22.92 per 100,000 in 1990 to 23.17 per 100,000 in 2021, with the highest rate observed in the 15–19 age group (33.14 per 100,000). Bipolar disorder is also associated with elevated suicide risk and substantial psychosocial impairment during adolescence. Collectively, these findings highlight the high prevalence and clinical severity of adolescent mood disorders, as well as the growing burden on healthcare and educational systems. The impact of adolescent mood disorders extends beyond the individual level to the family, placing a substantial psychological burden on parents. Evidence shows that 34.8% of caregivers of adolescents with depression experience anxiety symptoms and 41.8% experience depressive symptoms, often accompanied by sleep disturbances, somatic complaints, and feelings of helplessness. A qualitative study further indicated that caring for individuals with mood disorders not only affects caregivers’ mental health but is also associated with changes in physical health, diet, and exercise behaviors. As primary caregivers, parents play a crucial role in maintaining family functioning and supporting their children’s recovery. However, current medical and social support systems remain insufficient to meet their needs, leaving many parents without timely and effective support under substantial caregiving stress. Against this background, parental burnout has emerged as an important public health concern. It is characterized by emotional exhaustion, reduced parenting efficacy, and emotional distancing from children resulting from prolonged parenting stress. Parents of adolescents with mood disorders face greater challenges than those of typically developing adolescents, including long-term uncertainty in disease management, social stigma, financial strain, and limited access to support resources. These conditions place them at elevated risk of parental burnout. Previous studies have shown that parental burnout is associated with severe psychological distress, marital conflict, and an increased risk of child neglect or abuse. Although research on parental burnout has increased in recent years, most studies have focused on general parent populations. Evidence regarding parents of adolescents with mood disorders remains limited. This group not only experiences persistent caregiving stress but also faces distinct psychosocial burdens, suggesting that the mechanisms underlying parental burnout may differ from those observed in other populations. Therefore, systematically examining the developmental pathways of parental burnout in this population is both theoretically and practically warranted.