International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education (IJCRSEE)

IJCRSEE Editorial Team; Asya Berberyan; Hermine Berberyan; Ivan Alsina-Jurnet

doi:10.23947/2334-8496-2023-11-3-449-459

Authors

Asya Berberyan Psychology Department, Armenian-Russian University, Yerevan, Armenia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0321-0161
Hermine Berberyan Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Groningen, Netherlands https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3889-5933
Ivan Alsina-Jurnet Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVIC-UCC), Barcelona, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9057-6596

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23947/2334-8496-2023-11-3-449-459

Keywords:

virtual reality, natural scenarios, state anxiety, negative and positive mood, sense of presence

Abstract

Virtual Reality technologies have been established as an effective tool for the treatment of a variety of mental health disorders. Despite those positive results, it remains unclear whether these findings can generalize to the healthy population. In the current study, we assessed to what degree a virtual scenario consisting of a tropical beach can be successfully applied for the reduction of state anxiety and negative mood in healthy individuals. The study was performed on 50 volunteers aged 18 to 45 that were individually exposed to virtual reality. Before and after the virtual reality session, the emotional state of the participants was measured through questionnaires. Using linear mixed effect models, we obtained evidence for the effectivity of a single virtual reality session for negative state reduction, namely, we observed a decrease in state anxiety and negative mood. Additionally, a positive mood of participants increased after the session, however, no statistical evidence was obtained. The results confirm our hypothesis that state anxiety and negative mood can be decreased using a low-cost virtual reality device. Based on our findings, we suggest that virtual scenarios can improve the emotional well-being and the quality of life of the general population.

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