Virtual reality-supported mindfulness practice in relieving stress in postgraduate students: a pilot randomised controlled trial

Virtual reality (VR)-based mindfulness intervention may be a potentially effective approach for stress relief in postgraduate students. This pilot study examined the preliminary effects of a VR-based mindfulness intervention on stress reduction among postgraduate students, in comparison with a conventional mindfulness intervention and a control condition. In addition, the study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and user experience associated with delivering mindfulness through VR technology.

A three-arm, assessor-blinded pilot randomised controlled trial was conducted. Forty-five full-time postgraduate students were randomly assigned (n = 15 per group) to a mindfulness group (15-minute audio-guided mindful practice twice a week for two weeks), a VR mindfulness group (VR-based mindfulness intervention twice weekly for two weeks), or a control group. The feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of VR-based mindfulness intervention on relieving stress were examined. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants in the VR mindfulness group to explore their experiences following the intervention.

This pilot study supported the feasibility of VR-based mindfulness intervention with satisfactory recruitment (54.88%), attrition (4.44%), and intervention completion (95.56%) rates. Participants in both the VR-based mindfulness group (β = -0.422, 95%CI: -0.804 to -0.039, p = 0.031, g = -0.42) and the mindfulness group (β = -0.563, 95%CI: -1.052 to -0.074, p = 0.024, g = -0.44) exhibited significant reductions in perceived stress scores compared to the control group at post-intervention. Additionally, significant reductions on total mood disturbance and negative mood were observed in both VR-based mindfulness group (β = -16.553, 95%CI: -28.800 to -4.306, p = 0.008, g = -0.52; β = -22.159, 95%CI: -40.827 to -3.491, p = 0.020, g = -0.52) and mindfulness groups (β = -16.004, 95%CI: -30.500 to -1.509, p = 0.030, g = -0.59; β = -23.029, 95%CI: -45.307 to -0.752, p = 0.043, g = -0.53). However, no statistically significant differences between groups were found in the total scores of mindfulness (p > 0.05).

This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility and potentially preliminary effectiveness of VR-based mindfulness intervention for postgraduate students. Further multi-centre randomised controlled trials with a larger sample size and longer follow-up are recommended to ascertain the effects of VR-based mindfulness intervention for stress relief among postgraduate students.

This study has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05948280) on 17th July 2023.