JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a potential approach for providing nature-based experiences to individuals with limited access to real-world nature. Although plant- and animal-based activities have been associated with psychological benefits, few studies have compared interactive plant-mediated activity (PMA)– and animal-assisted activity (AAA)–based VR experiences or examined their psychological and metabolomic response patterns.

Objective:

This study aimed to compare short-term psychological, emotional, VR-related tolerability, and exploratory metabolomic responses to interactive PMA- and AAA-based immersive VR activities in healthy adults.

Methods:

An exploratory counterbalanced within-subject study was conducted with 50 healthy adults. Each participant completed three VR conditions—Lavender Cultivation VR, Calf Care VR, and General Game VR—once per week over approximately 3 weeks. Self-reported psychological outcomes and biospecimens were collected before and after each session, while emotional responses and simulator sickness symptoms were assessed after each session using the Semantic Differential Method (SDM) and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), respectively. Psychological and post-session subjective outcomes were analyzed using repeated-measures analyses of variance, and serum and saliva metabolomic profiles were examined using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–Orbitrap–tandem mass spectrometry and multivariate statistical analyses.

Results:

Stress demonstrated a significant time and condition interaction (P=.018), with Calf Care VR showing the greatest reduction in perceived stress scores. Relaxation also differed significantly with condition (P=.024), with Lavender Cultivation VR inducing greater relaxation than Calf Care VR (P=.009). SSQ scores differed significantly across conditions (P<.001), with higher scores observed after Lavender Cultivation VR and Calf Care VR than after General Game VR. Untargeted metabolomic analyses showed pre-session to post-session and condition-associated patterns, with changes more evident in serum than in saliva. Post-session analyses showed condition-associated metabolite patterns, including oleamide and related fatty acid amides in Calf Care VR and linolenic acid in Lavender Cultivation VR.

Conclusions:

Interactive PMA- and AAA-based VR activities may elicit different short-term psychological, emotional, and exploratory metabolomic response patterns. Calf Care VR was associated with greater perceived stress reduction, whereas Lavender Cultivation VR was associated with higher relaxation. However, higher SSQ scores were observed in Lavender Cultivation VR and Calf Care VR than in General Game VR, highlighting the need to consider VR-related tolerability and differences in program design. Clinical Trial: Clinical Research Information Service KCT0012220; https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do?seq=33875