3D built virtual arctic environment increase vigor through connectedness in older people

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Virtual Reality
• Psychology

Background:

• Increased life expectancy leads to more older adults in long-term care facilities.
• Institutionalization can reduce social connection and vigor, impacting psychophysical health.
• Virtual reality's potential benefits for well-being are noted, but not specifically studied in older populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of virtual reality environments on connectedness and vigor in older adults.
• To compare the impact of a virtual arctic environment versus a virtual urban environment.
• To examine the indirect effect of virtual environment exposure on vigor through connectedness.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 53 older adults in nursing homes or healthcare residences.
• Participants were exposed to either a 3D virtual arctic or a 3D virtual urban environment.
• Virtual reality scenarios featured a first-person view with in-situ rotation.

Main Results:

• Exposure to the virtual arctic environment resulted in higher levels of connectedness compared to the virtual urban environment.
• Increased connectedness mediated the positive effect on vigor.
• The virtual arctic environment indirectly enhanced vigor through improved connectedness.

Conclusions:

• Virtual nature environments show promise for improving older adults' well-being in care facilities.
• Virtual reality can be a tool to enhance social connectedness and vigor in institutionalized older populations.
• Adopting virtual nature experiences may mitigate negative psychophysical effects of long-term care.