Restorativeness mediates the effect of a brief virtual reality mindfulness exposure with a multi-ethnic group in a natural environment on global identity salience: a pilot study with adolescents.
Claudia Russo, Luciano Romano, Davide Clemente, Alessia Congiu, Roberta Rodelli, Claudia Navarini, Angelo Panno
Frontiers in Psychology 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1593273 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental between-subjects design Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 94 |
| Population | Italian adolescents |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Adolescence Global identity Restorativeness Virtual natural environment Virtual reality Vr Virtual experiences Virtual environment Adolescent development Youth development Youth psychology Teenage development Adolescent psychology Self-concept Connection to humanity Global citizenship Interconnectedness World identity Mindfulness & well-being Mental well-being Restorative practices Inner peace Stress reduction |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Exposure to a VR mindfulness session, compared to a VR volleyball session, increased restorativeness, which in turn enhanced global identity salience in adolescents. |
Abstract
Adolescents are increasingly exposed to global challenges, making it important to promote a sense of global identity-defined as a psychological connection with humanity as a whole. While scholars have highlighted the role of mindfulness and restorativeness in promoting global identity per se, there is a lack of studies hypothesizing their involvement in a unique framework and adopting virtual reality (VR) as a tool. This study aimed to verify, in a sample of adolescents, the indirect effect of the exposure to a VR video of a group of multi-ethnic youths practicing a brief mindfulness session - compared to a VR video of a group of multi-ethnic youths involved in a volleyball play - on global identity through restorativeness. A quasi-experimental between-subjects design was adopted, involving 94 Italian adolescents randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (i) a 360-degree VR video showing a group of multi-ethnic youths practicing mindfulness in a natural environment or (ii) a 360-degree VR video showing a group of multi-ethnic youths playing volleyball in the same environment. We hypothesized that the VR exposure to the group of multi-ethnic youths practicing a brief mindfulness session - compared to the VR exposure to the group of multi-ethnic youths involved in a volleyball play - could enhance restorativeness, which in turn is expected to increase global identity salience. The results of the mediation analysis supported our hypothesis, showing that participants exposed to the mindfulness condition - compared to the participants exposed to the volleyball play condition - reported significantly higher restorativeness, which in turn led to an increase in global identity salience [point estimate = 0.12, SE = 0.08, 95% CI = (0.004, 0.317)]. Findings shed light on the underlying processes involved in the exposure to a brief mindfulness session within a multi-ethnic group played in a virtual natural environment on global identity salience, emphasizing the mediating role of restorativeness. These results provide significant insights into the self-concept construction, which is critical in adolescence. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- The Empirical Status of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of 44 Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials Perspectives on Psychological Science February 16, 2021
- The mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy adherence scale: inter‐rater reliability, adherence to protocol and treatment distinctiveness Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy March 1, 2002
- A randomized controlled pilot trial of classroom-based mindfulness meditation compared to an active control condition in sixth-grade children. Journal of school psychology June 1, 2014
and 4 more in the library