The Efficacy of Local Versus Overseas Natural Environments in 360-Degree Virtual Reality Video for Improving Mental Wellness in Medical Students: A Retrospectively Registered Two-Arm Parallel Randomized Trial
A two-session immersive VR nature intervention is effective for improving well-being and reducing anxiety and stress in medical students. The geographical familiarity of the environment did not significantly impact therapeutic effectiveness, suggesting that the restorative effects of virtual nature may generalize across different environmental and cultural contexts. Trial Registration: NCT07447310; retrospectively registered on 25 February 2026.
Authors
- Suriati Mohamed Saini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5177-7552)
- Farah Deena Abdul Samad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4755-8330)
- Muhammad Hizri bin Hatta
- Siew Koon Chong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8491-5619)
Institutions
- Hospital Kuala Lumpur (MY)
- Sultan Zainal Abidin University (MY)
- National University of Malaysia (MY)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Healthcare
- Published
- 2026-04-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14081087
- Primary Topic
- Urban Green Space and Health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia