Mitigating stress and anxiety in a social VR-based Trier Social Stress Test: The role of trait anxiety in cognitive and mindfulness interventions.
Acta Psychologica September 1, 2025 Eunha Kim, Teemu H Laine, Youbin Lee
In a randomized experiment with 60 college students, cognitive restructuring and mindfulness-based meditation did not significantly reduce stress or anxiety compared to a control condition after a social VR-based Trier Social Stress Test. However, trait anxiety moderated the effects: individuals with high trait anxiety experienced greater reductions in stress and anxiety from both interventions than those with low trait anxiety. The findings suggest these interventions may be particularly beneficial for people with high trait anxiety, while their effectiveness for low trait anxiety may be limited. The results also highlight social VR as a tool for studying and managing stress in controlled environments.