VR for Hope: A Brief VR Self-help Protocol to Enhance Hope and Well-being in Young Adults

The Adult Hope Scale (AHS) (Snyder et al., 1991; Italian version translated by Alfieri et al., 2023) is a 12-item measure assessing dispositional hope in adults. The construct of hope is based on two core components: the ability to sustain motivation and determination to achieve meaningful goals (agency) and the capacity to identify pathways and strategies to overcome obstacles along the way (pathways). The scale consists of statements rated on a 4-Likert scale that assess both cognitive and affective aspects of hope. Total scores range from 8 to 32, where higher scores reflect a greater level of hope.

The Certainty about Mental States Questionnaire (CAMSQ) (Müller et al., 2023; Italian version currently under validation by De Salve et al.) is a self-report measure of perceived mentalizing, defined as the ability to interpret one's own and others' mental states. The questionnaire consists of 20 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 7 (always). The instrument assesses two dimensions of mentalizing: certainty about one's own mental states and certainty about others' mental states. The scale was translated into Italian using a back-translation procedure, approved by the original German authors, and uploaded to the Open Science Framework (OSF). Higher scores reflect a greater level of perceived mentalizing.

The Flourishing Scale (FS) developed by Ryan and Deci (2001; Italian version Di Fabio, 2010), aims to investigate the elements that make up psychological well-being, including relationships, self-esteem, life purpose, and optimism. It consists of 8 items, and each is positively worded, and responses are measured on a 7-step Likert scale, where 1 means "strongly disagree" and 7 means "strongly agree." The score range is from 8 to 56 and higher scores reflect a greater level of flourishing.

The Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) was developed by Keyes (2002; Petrillo et al., 2015) to measure emotional, social, and psychological well-being. The scale consists of 14 items, which can be answered using a 6-point Likert scale, where 0 indicates "never" and 5 "every day." To assess the three dimensions, the questionnaire is divided into three subscales: the Emotional Well-Being scale (EWB, items 1-3), the Social Well-Being scale (SWB, items 4-8), and the Psychological Well-Being scale (PWB, items 9-14). Higher scores on the MHC-SF indicate greater well-being.

The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 - Brief Form (PID-5-BF) (Italian version by Fossati et al., 2017) is a self-report questionnaire developed to assess functioning across five personality domains: Negative Affectivity, Detachment, Antagonism, Disinhibition, and Psychoticism. The instrument consists of 25 items rated on a four-point scale ranging from 0 (Very False or Often False) to 3 (Very True or Often True). Higher average scores in each of the 5 domains indicate higher levels of the specific pathological personality trait.

Two ad hoc items to investigate perceived usefulness and pleasantness of the exercise just done. After each activity of the intervention, participants will be asked to rate perceived usefulness and pleasantness through a 7-step Likert scale where 1 corresponds to "very little" and 7 to "very much."

Participants' satisfaction with the intervention will be assessed through two ad hoc items designed to evaluate overall appreciation of the activities and the perceived ease of completing the remote sessions. Responses will be rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much).