DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR THE RISK OF CYBERSICKNESS IN VIRTUAL REALITY

Abstract

The article conceptualizes cybersickness as a multilevel psychobehavioral phenomenon and proposes psychological risk criteria for preventive screening prior to VR interventions. The relevance stems from the expansion of VR in clinical and educational practice and increasing adverse effects that reduce treatment acceptability. The study shifts the focus from sensorimotor explanations to psychological vulnerability factors that determine the tolerance threshold to sensory conflict and load. The aim is to theoretically substantiate and systematize risk criteria on the basis of a review integrating data from psychometric questionnaires, behavioral tasks, eye-tracking and neurophysiological indicators. Four integrative blocks are distinguished: emotional-regulatory (anxiety sensitivity, emotional lability, trained self-regulation), cognitive-perceptual (cognitive load, working memory and attention resources, perceptual flexibility), personality-typological (neuroticism and external locus of control versus emotional stability and resilience) and motivational-adaptational (positive expectations, intrinsic motivation, biofeedback-supported self-regulation that reduce subjective load in VR scenarios). The result is a consolidated table of criteria specifying feature category, brief description, recommended assessment instrument and empirical grounding, which enables a transition from reactive responses to preventive risk stratification at the stage of session planning and personalization of VR scenarios. The proposed conceptualization outlines the psychological component of cybersickness as suitable for quantitative assessment and standardization, supporting safer evidence-based use of VR in psychological care, education and human-computer interaction.