JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Virtual reality is helpful for the management of stress and anxiety. However, current interventions have limitations related to location (i.e., therapist’s office or hospitals) and content (i.e., virtual experiences only for relaxation).

Objective:

This randomized pilot trial aims to investigate the efficacy and acceptability of a brief remote virtual reality-based training for supporting stress and anxiety management in a sample of Italian healthcare workers.

Methods:

29 doctors and nurses (72.4% female, mean age 35.6, SD=10.3) were recruited and randomized to a VR intervention group or a control group in a passive control condition. Participants assigned to the VR intervention group received a remote VR-based training consisting of three sessions at home delivered in one week using the virtual reality psychoeducational experience “MIND-VR” and the 360° relaxing video “The Secret Garden”. The primary outcome measures were stress, anxiety, depression, and the knowledge of stress and anxiety assessed at baseline and post-treatment. Besides, we evaluated the immediate effect of the remote VR-based training sessions on the perceived state of anxiety and negative and positive emotions. The secondary outcome measure was the usability at home of the VR system and content.

Results:

The VR intervention significantly reduced stress levels as assessed by the PSS-10 (6.46, 95% CI 2.77, 10.5; p = .049) and DASS-21 (8.53, 95% CI 3.3, 15.1; p = .049) and depression scores at the DASS-21 (5.06, 95% CI 2.46, 7.7; p = .05). There was no difference in anxiety levels and trait anxiety between the two groups. The VR intervention increased the knowledge of stress and anxiety, as assessed by the ad hoc questionnaire adopted ( -2.09, 95% CI -3.86, -.529, p = 046). Besides, after the home training sessions with virtual reality, there was a significant decrease in anxiety, anger, and sadness and an increase in happiness levels. Analyses of the questionnaires on usability indicated that the healthcare workers found using the VR system at home easy and highly satisfactory. Adherence to the VR intervention was 87.8%.

Conclusions:

The results of this randomized pilot study suggest that a week-long home VR intervention, created with content created specifically for this purpose and available free of charge, can effectively help individuals manage stress and anxiety, encouraging further research investigating the potential of remote VR interventions to support mental health. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov database (NCT04611399) on 11/02/20