Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Psychotherapy and Yoga on Student Performance Anxiety

Summary

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to compare two non-pharmacological interventions-Virtual Reality (VR) and Yoga techniques-in reducing performance anxiety in students aged 16-35. Performance anxiety, commonly experienced during public speaking and examinations, affects academic performance and well-being. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does the VR-based guided meditation intervention reduce performance anxiety more effectively than Yoga-based relaxation techniques? Do participants experience better emotional regulation and improved quality of life with either intervention? Researchers will compare the VR intervention group to the Yoga intervention group to determine which intervention better alleviates anxiety symptoms and fosters improved emotional regulation during school performance.

Participants will:

Attend six to ten sessions of either VR-based guided meditation or Yoga-based relaxation over a period of four weeks.

Complete questionnaires to assess their anxiety levels, emotional regulation, and quality of life before and after the intervention.

Conditions

• Performance Anxiety

Interventions

DEVICE

Virtual Reality Psychotherapy

Participants in this VR-facilited psychotherapy group will receive their treatment via Oculus Quest 2 and HTC Vive Flow wireless, standalone headsets systems to provide a comfortable immersive environment. The more hardware-intensive experiences will be carried out on Oculus Rift S headsets powered by high-end laptops. Sessions will last 30-60 minutes each, ranging from six to ten sessions within two to four weeks. The treatment will include reducing anxiety and improving emotion regulation through Cognitive-Behavioural techniques such as mindfulness, acceptance and commitement therapy, exposure therapy and 4-7-8 breathing. The same investigator will conduct all sessions to ensure uniformity. Additionally, subjects will undergo unsupervised VR at home with pre-programmed headsets to minimize investigator bias and maintain cosistancy of the relaxation and cognitive-behavioral strategies.

BEHAVIORAL

Yoga

The Yoga group members will be guided in a yoga class focused on managing performance anxiety. The interventions will consist of body exercises (Asanas), breath (Pranayama) and meditation to increase relaxation, consciousness and resilience; typical yoga postures like Surya Namaskar, Padahastasana, Virabhadrasana, Bhujangasana and Shavasana will be included in the session, as will breathing movements like Ujjayi (Victory Breath). Each class will be 60-90 minutes long, and 6-10 classes will be taught in two to four weeks. The technique will be progressive, from the basic to more advanced postures as participants cultivate confidence and resilience. All classes will conclude with meditation to ease tension and cultivate mindfulness.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Romanian Academy

  collaborator OTHER

• Socola Institute of Psychiatry

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Marcel A Găină, Ass. Prof. · University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Grigore T. Popa" Iași

• Liviu A Măgurianu, Sci.Res.III · Romanian Academy of Sciences "Gh. Zane" Institute Iasi

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-09-15

Primary Completion

2025-03-08

Completion

2025-07-31

Countries

• Romania

Study Locations