Doctorate in Clinical Psychology: Main Research Portfolio

: 1) The Use of Virtual Reality for the Reduction of Stress in Clinical and Non-Clinical Populations: A Narrative Review; 2) The Evaluation of a Remotely-delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Wellbeing Group with Healthcare Staff at North Bristol Trust: A Service-Related Project; 3) Bringing Greenspace within Hospital Walls: Testing the Effectiveness of a Virtual Reality Tool to Increase Mental Wellbeing in Acute NHS Hospital Staf

Abstract

Healthcare professionals in the National Health Service (NHS) experience high levels of stress and burnout which are commonly exacerbated by barriers to accessing traditional wellbeing interventions. Exposure to greenspace has been shown to have a positive impact on wellbeing, but access is limited in hospital settings and staff are commonly on shift for extended periods. Virtual reality (VR) offers a potential alternative to physical greenspace in the form of restorative virtual environments that have been shown to offer similar benefits, but to date no research has compared the effectiveness of virtual greenspace to a well matched control in NHS staff. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of two custom built 3D virtual environments, greenspace and urban, on wellbeing in NHS staff on shift in an acute hospital setting. Conditions were counterbalanced and participants (n = 16) experienced both VR environments over two sessions, one week apart, completing baseline trait and mood measures, alongside pre and post session measures of mood, stress, and perceived restoration. Analysis of data revealed that the greenspace condition demonstrated significantly greater improvements in pleasant and positive mood state, compared to the urban condition. No significant differences between urban and greenspace condition were observed pre-to-post for negative mood, arousal, perceived restoration, and stress. Both environments led to statistically significant changes pre-to-post across all dependent variables suggesting the VR experience had a positive effect. Participant feedback indicated high levels of acceptability and feasibility of the VR tool, with a preference for the greenspace environment and strong agreement on its potential as a wellbeing intervention. This study highlights the promise of VR greenspace interventions as scalable, accessible solutions to support NHS staff wellbeing, warranting further research into long-term impacts and broader implementation.

Date of Award	4 Apr 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Karin Petrini (Supervisor)