Description
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Virtual reality (VR) has proven central to breakthroughs in mental health technology, as it offers a stronger immersive capacity that facilitates relaxation and the management of negative emotions. The present study was planned to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of audio-based, video-based, and VR-based mindfulness meditation practices on state mindfulness and selective attention.
Method: Experimental research with pre-test and post-test study with a 3×2 factorial design was conducted within and between groups on 60 school and college-going students aged 15 to 24, assigned into six groups using randomization to compare the impact of mindfulness meditation on experimental and control groups of Virtual Reality (VR), Video, and audio-based mindfulness meditation.
Findings: A significant difference was found between the state mindfulness scores of the experimental and control groups of all three technology-based interventions, indicating that brief mindfulness meditation with all three modalities was quite effective in achieving mindfulness. The study’s results showed a favorable outcome for all technology-supported brief mindfulness meditations in inducing state mindfulness, but selective attention improved only with VR-based mindfulness meditation.
Originality/Value: The study highlighted the importance of VR-based brief mindfulness meditation in strengthening the user’s selective attention and state mindfulness. The incorporation of meditation into a school/college curriculum can promote students’ physical and mental well-being and improve their cognitive abilities by enabling stress management amidst the challenges of everyday life.
Conclusion: The study proved the efficacy of VR-based brief mindfulness meditation in strengthening state mindfulness and selective attention.
Keywords: Virtual reality, technology-supported meditations, brief mindfulness meditation, state mindfulness, selective attention
