Milken Institute School of Public Health Poster Presentations (Marvin Center & Video)
Document Type
Poster
Status
Medical Student
Abstract Category
Education/Health Services
Keywords
virtual reality, meditation, wellness, mental health, medical education
Publication Date
Spring 2019
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) is a popular technology that places users in an interactive 3D environment. VR has been used to enhance surgery training, rehabilitation of brain injury survivors, and telepsychiatry. Our aim for this study is to assess the perception of first-year medical students on the value of a VR meditation program on stress reduction, both immediate and longer term. We recruited 10 volunteer participants. Each participant completed a guided meditation using a commercially available VR headset paired with a meditation app and oximeter that calculates a heart rate variability (HRV) index. Each meditation was five minutes long and participants were asked to do the exercise once a day for five consecutive days. Participants completed surveys before and after each meditation exercise. Additionally, a follow-up survey was administered two months later. Of the 10 participants, seven completed the five-minute meditation exercises for five consecutive days; three performed the exercise for four consecutive days. Every participant except one completed all of the required surveys (1-7 scale, 7 high). Participants gave their stress level before each meditation, reporting a mean score of 4; after each meditation, the average stress score decreased to 3.3. On the last day, seven participants (78%) reported a decrease in overall stress; two (22%) reported no change. Over the course of the study, the average HRV index increase was 10%. During the two-month follow-up, six (60%) volunteers reported a decrease in their overall stress compared to seven (78%) on the last day of the study. When asked about the usefulness of the intervention on managing stress, participants reported an average score of 6.0—a slight increase from the rating of 5.6 given before beginning the study. Participants perceived that the VR program decreased their stress levels in the short and longer term—after each five-minute VR exercise, at the end of the five-day study and during the two-month follow-up. Their favorable perception of the usefulness of breathing exercises prior to the study, relatively high to begin with, stayed steady for two months post-intervention. Their perception that the intervention is useful for stress reduction is objectively supported by the increased HRV index, which current research shows is positively correlated with mental and physical health.
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Open Access
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Included in
A Pilot and Feasibility Study of Virtual Reality Guided Meditations in First-Year Medical Students
Virtual reality (VR) is a popular technology that places users in an interactive 3D environment. VR has been used to enhance surgery training, rehabilitation of brain injury survivors, and telepsychiatry. Our aim for this study is to assess the perception of first-year medical students on the value of a VR meditation program on stress reduction, both immediate and longer term. We recruited 10 volunteer participants. Each participant completed a guided meditation using a commercially available VR headset paired with a meditation app and oximeter that calculates a heart rate variability (HRV) index. Each meditation was five minutes long and participants were asked to do the exercise once a day for five consecutive days. Participants completed surveys before and after each meditation exercise. Additionally, a follow-up survey was administered two months later. Of the 10 participants, seven completed the five-minute meditation exercises for five consecutive days; three performed the exercise for four consecutive days. Every participant except one completed all of the required surveys (1-7 scale, 7 high). Participants gave their stress level before each meditation, reporting a mean score of 4; after each meditation, the average stress score decreased to 3.3. On the last day, seven participants (78%) reported a decrease in overall stress; two (22%) reported no change. Over the course of the study, the average HRV index increase was 10%. During the two-month follow-up, six (60%) volunteers reported a decrease in their overall stress compared to seven (78%) on the last day of the study. When asked about the usefulness of the intervention on managing stress, participants reported an average score of 6.0—a slight increase from the rating of 5.6 given before beginning the study. Participants perceived that the VR program decreased their stress levels in the short and longer term—after each five-minute VR exercise, at the end of the five-day study and during the two-month follow-up. Their favorable perception of the usefulness of breathing exercises prior to the study, relatively high to begin with, stayed steady for two months post-intervention. Their perception that the intervention is useful for stress reduction is objectively supported by the increased HRV index, which current research shows is positively correlated with mental and physical health.
Comments
Presented at Research Days 2019.