Accepted for/Published in: JMIR XR and Spatial Computing (JMXR)
Date Submitted: Jan 9, 2024
Date Accepted: Apr 21, 2024
Factors associated with risky drinking decisions in a virtual reality alcohol prevention simulation: A structural equation model
ABSTRACT
Background:
Risky alcohol consumption among adolescents is a significant public health concern in most Western countries. Efforts to tackle this challenge have been successful through skills training to deal with social pressures. However, interventions of this nature require significant resources. Technological solutions, such as virtual reality, offer advantages as they enable immersive experiences that replicate real-life scenarios. However, a persistent question pertains to the fidelity of real-world behaviors within virtual environments.
Objective:
This study is exploratory and aims to ascertain if the established drinking motives and factors for risky drinking decisions are transferrable to the virtual environment in the simulation game VR FestLab and to uncover determinants linked to risky drinking decisions within the simulation.
Methods:
Data from 161 Danish participants (aged 14-18 years) in a longitudinal intervention study were analysed. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were utilized to examine diverse latent variables (including alcohol and drug use, sensation seeking, refusal skills and knowledge & communication skills) in relation to virtual risk decisions.
Results:
The results indicate that individuals with prior alcohol experiences exhibited a fourfold increased chance (odds ratio = 4.32, p = .01) of engaging in virtual risk decisions within the simulated environment. However, other latent variables did not demonstrate significant associations with virtual risk decisions. Neither gender nor age exhibited moderation effects on the outcome.
Conclusions:
The immersive and lifelike properties of VR partially reflected risk-related decisions. However, it remains unclear which factors favour the mapping of real-world behaviours in virtual simulations. Therefore, future research should address the mechanisms underlying behavioural dynamics in virtual simulations and explore the translation of virtual behaviours into real behaviours to gain a comprehensive understanding of the potential of virtual simulations for alcohol prevention.
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