ArticleDigital health
Nature-based virtual reality relaxation to improve mental health and sleep in undergraduate students: A randomized controlled trial.
Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effectiveness of digital therapeutics in improving sleep quality: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.BMC medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Virtual Reality Interventions for Stress Reduction in the General Population: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Association Between Digital Biomarkers of Health and Anxiety: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Virtual Reality Relaxation for Reducing Aggression and Emotional Distress in At-Risk Adolescents in Israeli Residential Care: A Feasibility Randomized Clinical Trial.Aggressive behavior · 2026Trial
- Effects of Digital Nature Interventions on Positive Psychological Outcomes: A Scoping Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Virtual Nature, Metaverse, and NAD⁺: A Narrative Review for Health Planning and Healthy Ageing.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Feasibility of a brief group-based immersive 360° mindfulness program for stress-related outcomes in health sciences students: a 4-week pre-post pilot study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Undergraduate students are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems due to academic pressure, financial concerns, and interpersonal stressors. Nature-based virtual reality (VR) technologies, which replicate natural settings, may offer psychological benefits by compensating for limited access to real-world natural environments in urban contexts. Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a nature-based VR relaxation program in improving mental health and sleep outcomes among Korean undergraduate students. Method: Participants from five Korean universities were randomly assigned to one of three groups: VR relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), or wait-list control. Self-reported measures of depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and sleep patterns were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. Objective sleep efficiency was assessed using wrist-worn actigraphy devices. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations to examine changes over time and between groups. Results: A total of 41 participants completed the study. The VR intervention group showed significant reductions in perceived stress levels ( Conclusions: A nature-based VR relaxation program appears to be an effective digital intervention for reducing stress and enhancing subjective sleep quality among undergraduate students. These findings highlight the potential of nature-simulating digital environments to support mental health and wellness in settings with limited access to natural spaces.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.