A Feasibility Test of a Brief Mobile Virtual Reality Meditation for Frontline Healthcare Workers in a Hospital Setting
Jeff Tarrant, Ray Jackson, Jeremy Viczko
Frontiers in Virtual Reality January 26, 2022 DOI: 10.3389/frvir.2022.764745 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental pre-post comparison Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 100 |
| Population | Healthcare workers at a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Duration | Single 50-minute session |
| Measures | Brunel Mood Scale |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Both VR+NF and audio-only meditation produced similar significant decreases in Anger, Tension, and Depression. The VR+NF group additionally showed decreases in Vigor, Fatigue, and Confusion and increases in Calmness and Happiness, while the audio-only group showed no significant change on those scales, suggesting VR and neurofeedback may increase the positive outcomes of standard audio-guided meditation. |
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine whether a virtual reality plus neurofeedback (VR+NF) meditation experience (experimental condition) was more effective than a standard guided audio-only meditation (control condition) in improving mood in one hundred healthcare workers. Data collection occurred in a hospital setting between October, 2020 and March, 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were alternately assigned to one of the two conditions. Before and after the meditation experience, participants completed the Brunel Mood Scale. Results indicated that both groups showed a similar and significant decrease in Anger, Tension, and Depression. On scales measuring Vigor, Fatigue, and Confusion, the VR+NF group showed decreases, while the audio-only group showed no significant change. The VR+NF group showed significant increases on the Calmness and Happiness scales, which did not change significantly in the audio-only group. These results suggest that the addition of VR and neurofeedback may increase the positive outcomes associated with standard audio-guided meditation. These increased benefits may be due to the sense of presence intrinsic to VR, the inclusion of nature-based scenes in the VR experience, as well as the increased self-awareness created by the addition of neurofeedback. As the pre and post measures take place within one 50-min session, further studies assessing the longer-term changes are needed.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- Psychological and physiological health outcomes of virtual reality-based mindfulness interventions: A systematic review and evidence mapping of empirical studies. Digital health 2024
- Brain-computer interfaces in digital mindfulness training for metacognitive, emotional and attention regulation skills: a literature review Research, Society and Development February 18, 2023
- Consumer-Grade Neurofeedback With Mindfulness Meditation: Meta-Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research April 17, 2025
- Enhancing Mindfulness Effects on Well-Being Using Immersive Virtual Reality in Non-Clinical Populations: Where Are We Going? Mindfulness November 10, 2025
- Brief Interactive Virtual Reality Mindfulness Training with Real-Time Biofeedback for Anxiety Reduction: A Pilot Study. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback June 4, 2025
and 8 more in the library
Cites 16
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- Mindfulness‐Based cognitive therapy for prevention of recurrence of suicidal behavior Journal of Clinical Psychology December 9, 2005
- Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- Evaluating Mindfulness Meditation Apps April 20, 2018
and 11 more in the library