Nature Experience-based Virtual Reality Improves Depressive Symptoms in a Young Population: A Pilot Study
- 주제(키워드) Virtual reality , Depression , Biomarkers , Treatment
- 발행기관 대한의생명과학회
- 발행년도 2024
- 총서유형 Journal
- KCI ID ART003068196
- 본문언어 영어
초록/요약
Although there have been several attempts to use virtual reality (VR) in the treatment of depression, the results have been inconsistent and existing studies have mostly relied on subjective measures to assess the effectiveness of VR in improving depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nature experience-based VR intervention on depressive symptoms in a young population using both subjective and objective measurements. The study population included 15 participants who had more than 14 identifiers of the Korean Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI)-II. Participants received three weeks (four times per week) of VR intervention. The effectiveness of VR was assessed through changes in K-BDI-II scores and depression-related blood biomarkers. Nature experience-based VR intervention led to an approximately 50% reduction of K-BDI-II score (before 25.7±7.7 vs. after 12.5±8.3 (P<0.001)). Of these, loss of pleasure and fatigue showed the largest amount of improvement. However, levels of cortisol, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and interleukin-6 did not differ from those at baseline. The findings of our pilot study suggest that nature experiencebased VR can be a useful adjunctive treatment method for improving depressive symptoms in individuals who have difficulty accessing the real outside natural environment.
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