Schilder Frank P M, Withagen Frederique M, de Weijer Antoin D, Bruinsma Bastiaan, Geuze Elbert
Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Stress Health. 2024 Dec;40(6):e3475. doi: 10.1002/smi.3475. Epub 2024 Sep 28.
Military personnel are often exposed to high levels of both physical and psychological challenges in their work environment and therefore it is important to be trained on how to handle stressful situations. The primary aim of this study was to examine whether military-specific virtual battle space (VBS) scenarios could elicit a physiological and subjective stress response in healthy military personnel, as compared to that of a virtual reality height exposure (VR-HE) stress task that has shown to reliably increase stress levels. Twenty participants engaged in two VBS scenarios and the VR-HE during separate sessions, while measurements of heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), respiration rate, and subjective stress levels were collected. Contrary to our initial expectations, analysis revealed that neither of the VBS scenarios induced a significant stress response, as indicated by stable HR, HRV, and low subjective stress levels. However, the VR-HE task did elicit a significant physiological stress response, evidenced by increased HR and HRV changes, aligning with previous research findings. Moreover, no discernible alterations were detected in cognitive performance subsequent to these stressors. These results suggest that the current VBS scenarios, despite their potential, may not be effective for stress-related training activities within military settings. The absence of a significant stress response in the VBS conditions points to the need for more immersive and engaging scenarios. By integrating interactive and demanding elements, as well as physical feedback systems and real-time communication, VBS training might better mimic real-world stressors and improve stress resilience in military personnel. The findings of this study have broader implications for stress research and training, suggesting the need for scenario design improvements in virtual training environments to effectively induce stress and improve stress management across various high-stress professions.
军事人员在其工作环境中经常面临高强度的身体和心理挑战，因此接受如何应对压力情况的培训非常重要。本研究的主要目的是检验与已证明能可靠提高压力水平的虚拟现实高空暴露（VR-HE）应激任务相比，特定于军事的虚拟战斗空间（VBS）场景是否能在健康军事人员中引发生理和主观应激反应。20名参与者在不同时段分别参与了两个VBS场景和VR-HE任务，同时收集了心率（HR）、心率变异性（HRV）、呼吸频率和主观压力水平的测量数据。与我们最初的预期相反，分析显示，两个VBS场景均未引发显著的应激反应，心率、心率变异性稳定且主观压力水平较低即表明了这一点。然而，VR-HE任务确实引发了显著的生理应激反应，心率增加和心率变异性变化证明了这一点，这与先前的研究结果一致。此外，在这些应激源之后，未检测到认知表现有明显改变。这些结果表明，当前的VBS场景尽管有潜力，但可能对军事环境中与压力相关的训练活动无效。VBS条件下未出现显著应激反应表明需要更具沉浸感和吸引力的场景。通过整合互动性和挑战性元素，以及身体反馈系统和实时通信，VBS训练可能更好地模拟现实世界的应激源，并提高军事人员的压力恢复能力。本研究结果对压力研究和训练具有更广泛的意义，表明需要改进虚拟训练环境中的场景设计，以有效诱发压力并改善各高压力职业中的压力管理。
