Ding Huan, Lin Bo, Xu Yuwei, Shang Dunjiang, Han Yi
School of Design and Innovation, Xiamen University Tan Kah Kee College, Zhangzhou, China.
Faculty of Humanities and Arts, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, Macao SAR, China.
Front Psychiatry. 2025 May 29;16:1588745. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1588745. eCollection 2025.
Anxiety among university students has become increasingly prominent in higher education settings, adversely affecting not only their academic performance but also their overall mental health. While medication and psychological interventions can help alleviate anxiety to some extent, it is crucial for this particular group to find more convenient, easily accepted non-pharmacological approaches. Art therapy, especially hands-on creative activities, is considered an effective means of regulating anxiety, yet research on virtual reality (VR) sculpting remains relatively scarce.
This paper aims to investigate the therapeutic effects of VR sculpting on college students' anxiety levels and assess its impact on psychological well-being and physiological relaxation, as measured by heart rate variability (HRV).
The study recruited 30 undergraduates, evaluating their anxiety levels via the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), psychological well-being via the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and physiological relaxation via HRV. Subsequently, we monitored how VR-based artistic sculpting influenced changes in GAD-7, PANAS, and HRV scores.
Comparing the data before and after the art-based intervention revealed a significant decrease in participants' GAD-7 scores, a substantial rise in PANAS scores indicating enhanced psychological well-being (p < 0.05), and a marked increase in HRV, suggesting VR sculpting can promote physiological relaxation. Qualitative interviews further showed that most participants experienced strong focus and emotional release during the VR sculpting process.
As a non-pharmacological art therapy method, VR sculpting demonstrates a notably positive effect on reducing anxiety and improving mental well-being among university students. This study provides compelling evidence for using art therapy to address mental health issues in a college environment. Future research should consider longer intervention periods and more varied measures to further investigate the long-term effectiveness and broader applicability of this approach.
在高等教育环境中，大学生的焦虑问题日益突出，不仅对他们的学业成绩产生不利影响，还会影响他们的整体心理健康。虽然药物治疗和心理干预在一定程度上有助于缓解焦虑，但对于这一特定群体来说，找到更方便、更容易接受的非药物方法至关重要。艺术治疗，尤其是动手创造性活动，被认为是调节焦虑的有效手段，但关于虚拟现实（VR）雕塑的研究仍然相对较少。
本文旨在研究VR雕塑对大学生焦虑水平的治疗效果，并通过心率变异性（HRV）评估其对心理健康和生理放松的影响。
该研究招募了30名本科生，通过广泛性焦虑障碍量表（GAD-7）评估他们的焦虑水平，通过正负情绪量表（PANAS）评估他们的心理健康状况，并通过HRV评估他们的生理放松程度。随后，我们监测了基于VR的艺术雕塑如何影响GAD-7、PANAS和HRV分数的变化。
比较艺术干预前后的数据发现，参与者的GAD-7分数显著下降，PANAS分数大幅上升，表明心理健康状况有所改善（p<0.05），HRV显著增加，表明VR雕塑可以促进生理放松。定性访谈进一步表明，大多数参与者在VR雕塑过程中经历了强烈的专注和情绪释放。
作为一种非药物艺术治疗方法，VR雕塑在减轻大学生焦虑和改善心理健康方面显示出显著的积极效果。本研究为在大学环境中使用艺术治疗来解决心理健康问题提供了有力证据。未来的研究应考虑更长的干预期和更多样化的措施，以进一步研究这种方法的长期有效性和更广泛适用性。
