Pilot Trial: Impact of a Virtual Reality Stress Reduction Program on Healthcare and Information Technology Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• 발행기관: 대한신경정신의학회
• 저자명: Daeho Kwon Wooyoung Im Yunsoo Kim Jaesung Yoo Huisu Jeon Heeyong Choi Hyeyun Kim
• 간행물 정보: 『Psychiatry Investigation』제22권 제4호, 451~461쪽, 전체 11쪽
• 주제분류: 의약학 > 정신과학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2025.04.11

국문 초록

Objective This study evaluated the effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR) based stress reduction program tailored for healthcare and information technology (IT) professionals during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic. Methods The 2-week program, based on forest healing principles, was designed to alleviate occupational stress and improve sleep quality. Participants (n=54; 46 healthcare, 8 IT professionals) underwent pre- and post-intervention assessments using validated psychological scales and physiological measurements. Results Results showed significant reductions in stress (Perceived Stress Scale [PSS], p=0.001) and anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS] anxiety, p=0.002) across all participants. Healthcare professionals demonstrated significant decreases in depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, p=0.015), anxiety (HADS anxiety, p<0.001), and stress (PSS, p=0.001). Unexpectedly, weekday sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) worsened in the healthcare group (p=0.013). The IT group showed no significant changes, possibly due to the small sample size. Physiological measurements revealed significant differences between groups post-intervention, including melatonin levels (p=0.001) and electrocardiogram values (p=0.031), suggesting occupation-specific responses to VR interventions. Conclusion Despite limitations such as unequal sample sizes, this study provides valuable insights into the potential of VR-based stress management programs. The findings underscore the need for occupation-specific approaches and further research with larger, balanced samples to validate these results and explore long-term effects.

목차

INTRODUCTION

METHODS

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

REFERENCES

키워드

Virtual reality intervention Occupational stress management COVID-19 pandemic Healthcare and IT professionals Sleep quality