JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Immersive head-mounted display virtual reality (VR) was used to determine if clinical interview simulation had reduced first-year occupational therapy (OT) student anxiety levels as they prepared for upcoming Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCE). Anxiety in Health-Science students is a potential problem that may diminish their performance during OSCEs. This investigation aimed to fill the gap in the literature, regarding the effectiveness of VR to reduce anxiety in OT students.

Objective:

This investigation aimed to uncover immersive VR’s effectiveness for reducing state anxiety in Occupational Therapy students who were preparing for an OSCE.

Methods:

A prospective experimental nonrandomized control trial compared two groups of first-year OT students’ state anxiety, test anxiety and academic self-efficacy levels each measured at four different timepoints by self-reported psychometric scales, analyzed with a mixed factorial ANOVA. Groups consisted of VR simulation (YesVR) and control (NoVR). VR simulation featured a virtual clinic and standardized patient who students could interview in natural language. Measures of student study strategies and previous experience with VR were also recorded.

Results:

49 participants (29 for NoVR, 20 for YesVR) showed state anxiety had a rise-then-fall trend, peaking at the time point just before the OSCE. At that point, YesVR students showed significantly less state anxiety than NoVR (t(46.19) = 2.34, p = .023, Cohen’s d = 0.65, ηp2 = .105). In similar trends for both groups, student test anxiety remained relatively static across the timepoints while academic self-efficacy continually increased. A moderate positive correlation was found for total time spent studying and peak state anxiety (NoVR r = .46, n = 28, p = .013. YesVR r = .52, n = 19, p = .024). Top study strategies used by the students were hands-on practice group (mean=44.99%), individual (mean = 18.28%) and note review (mean=21.34%).

Conclusions:

This investigation shows evidence of immersive VR’s capability to reduce state anxiety in OT students preparing for clinical practical exams. Immersive VR simulation, used for the reduction of anxiety in Health Science students, can potentially lead to a future of positive mental health change from the virtual to the real world.