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Virtual Reality to Cope With Academic Stress

U

University of the Balearic Islands

Status

Completed

Conditions

Stress, Psychological
Stress, Physiological

Treatments

Behavioral: Guided visualization of exams through immersive virtual reality
Behavioral: Guided visualization of exams through traditional method

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT05828329
IB4958/22PI

Details and patient eligibility

About

The new technologies may facilitate the teaching-learning process through the ubiquitous and active approach. However, stress from academic exams remains being high among undergraduate students. Although new technologies could be useful to simulate and control academic stressful situations through immersive virtual reality, no studies to date have evaluated its effectiveness. This study is designed to evaluate the effects of a virtual reality program to visualize stressful academic situations like exams on the level of psychological and physiological stress and academic performance of Physiotherapy and Nursing undergraduate students. To this end, an experimental study with two experimental groups and one control group is designed: experimental group 1 (EG1) will complete a 4-weeks program of guided visualization of exams through immersive virtual reality; experimental group 2 (EG2) will complete a 4-weeks program of traditional guided visualization of exams (through audio); control group (CG) will not receive any visualization program, as the most habitual strategy to cope with exams among students. Before and after the intervention period, all students will fulfill an online questionnaire to inform about their level of academic stress (SISCO inventory) and perceived stress from the last month (Perceived Stress Scale). Also, just before starting the exam they will have been visualizing, level of stress (0 to 10 points), blood pressure (mmHg), maximal heart rate (ppm) and salivary cortisol level will be assessed in all students. Qualifications of the exam will be also collected. Intra-group differences and between-group differences at post-intervention time will be obtained.

Full description

As eligibility criteria, participants should be enrolled in at least 80% of subjects of an usual academic course during the year in which the study is carrying out; and not to have previous experience in similar guided visualization to cope with stressful situations.

Intervention of EG1: The 4-weeks program with virtual reality will consist of a 30-minutes guided visualization session through virtual reality glasses (two sessions per week). Students will visualize a 360º video that simulates the entire experience of an exam, from first person perspective.

Intervention of EG2: The 4-weeks program of traditional visualization will consist of a 30-minutes traditional guided visualization session, by listening only the part of the audio used for EG1.

CG will not receive any intervention, as the most used strategy to cope with exams among students. After finishing the study, this group will receive the same program that EG1 or EG2 received, if they are interested.

The main outcomes will be the intra-group and between-group changes in the level of academic stress and the perceived stress from the last month. Also, between-group differences in the level of stress (0 to 10 points), arterial tension (mmHg), maximal heart rate (ppm) and salivary cortisol level just before exams.

As secondary outcomes, between-group differences in qualifications of exams that they will have been visualizing will be also considered (it will be taken into account their average qualifications in the degree).

Enrollment

20 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • To be enrolled in at least 80% of subjects of an usual academic course during the year in which the study is carrying out.
  • Not to have previous experience in guided visualization to cope with stressful situations.

Exclusion criteria

  • Not to understand the Spanish language

Trial design

Primary purpose

Prevention

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

Double Blind

20 participants in 3 patient groups

Experimental group 1
Experimental group
Description:
The program with virtual reality will consist of a 30-minutes guided visualization session through virtual reality glasses. Students will visualize a 360º video that simulates the entire experience of an exam, from first person perspective.
Treatment:
Behavioral: Guided visualization of exams through immersive virtual reality
Experimental group 2
Active Comparator group
Description:
The 4-weeks program will consist of a 30-minutes traditional guided visualization session, by listening only the part of the audio used for EG1.
Treatment:
Behavioral: Guided visualization of exams through traditional method
Control group
No Intervention group
Description:
This group will not receive any intervention, as the most used strategy to cope with exams among students.

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Central trial contact

Juan Carlos Fernández-Domínguez, PhD; Natalia Romero-Franco, PhD

Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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