Department of Psychotherapy and Diagnostics, Institute of Psychology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Humboldtstraße 33, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany, 49 0531 391-3603.
VirtuaLounge GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany.
JMIR Hum Factors. 2024 Aug 6;11:e56278. doi: 10.2196/56278.
Virtual reality (VR) group activities can act as interventions against inactivity and lack of meaningful activities in nursing homes. The acceptance of VR among older adults has been explored from different perspectives. However, research on the impact of older adults' individual characteristics on the acceptance of VR group activities in nursing homes is necessary.
This study investigates the impact of individual characteristics (eg, psychosocial capacities) on VR acceptance among older adults in nursing homes, as well as this group's perceptions of VR after participating in a VR intervention.
In this pre-post study conducted in nursing homes, we applied a VR group intervention with 113 older adult participants. These participants were categorized into two groups based on their naturalistic choice to join the intervention: a higher VR acceptance group (n=90) and a lower VR acceptance group (n=23). We compared the two groups with respect to their sociodemographic characteristics, psychosocial capacities, and attitudes toward new technologies. Additionally, we examined the participants' perceptions of VR.
The results show that those with lower acceptance of VR initially reported higher capacities in organizing daily activities and stronger interpersonal relationships compared to older adults with higher VR acceptance. The VR group activity might hold limited significance for the latter group, but it offers the chance to activate older adults with lower proactivity. Openness to new technology was associated with a favorable perception of VR. After the VR intervention, the acceptance of VR remained high.
This study investigates the acceptance of VR group events as meaningful activities for older adults in nursing homes under naturalistic conditions. The results indicate that the VR group intervention effectively addressed low proactivity and interpersonal relationship issues among older adults in nursing homes. Older adults should be encouraged to experience VR if the opportunity to participate is offered, potentially facilitated by caregivers or trusted individuals.
虚拟现实（VR）团体活动可以作为养老院中缺乏活动和有意义活动的干预措施。已经从不同角度探讨了老年人对 VR 的接受程度。然而，研究老年人个体特征对养老院中老年人接受 VR 团体活动的影响是必要的。
本研究调查个体特征（如心理社会能力）对养老院老年人接受 VR 的影响，以及该群体在参与 VR 干预后对 VR 的看法。
在这项在养老院进行的前后研究中，我们应用了一项有 113 名老年人参与的 VR 团体干预。这些参与者根据他们自然选择参加干预的情况分为两组：高 VR 接受组（n=90）和低 VR 接受组（n=23）。我们比较了两组的社会人口统计学特征、心理社会能力和对新技术的态度。此外，我们还考察了参与者对 VR 的看法。
结果表明，最初对 VR 接受程度较低的人在组织日常活动和人际关系方面的能力比对 VR 接受程度较高的老年人更高。VR 团体活动对后者的意义可能有限，但它为积极性较低的老年人提供了一个激活的机会。对新技术的开放态度与对 VR 的有利看法相关。在 VR 干预后，对 VR 的接受程度仍然很高。
本研究在自然条件下调查了养老院老年人对 VR 团体活动作为有意义活动的接受程度。结果表明，VR 团体干预有效地解决了养老院老年人的低积极性和人际关系问题。如果有机会参与，应该鼓励老年人体验 VR，可能需要由护理人员或可信赖的人协助。
