Date of Award
Spring 4-10-2023
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Daniel Koo
Second Advisor
Rachel Pizzie
Third Advisor
Deborah Schooler
Abstract
Hydrotherapy, a holistic alternative medicine, uses methods like water therapy, cold water immersion, and balneotherapy to treat physical and mental illnesses while inducing tranquility (Bahadorfar, 2014). In this study, the water therapy approach was used, but with a unique twist. Rather than traditional hydrotherapy involving direct contact with water, participants were fully immersed in a virtual reality water environment. This study investigated whether immersing individuals with psychological stress in an underwater environment via virtual reality (VR) reduces their stress levels as compared to a non-hydrotherapy virtual city environment. The effects of underwater scenery versus non-hydrotherapy city scenery individuals experiencing stress has not been exploited before. We also explored the potential of virtual reality as a tool for promoting stress reduction and overall health benefits, particularly for individuals coping with various illnesses, including mental health issues. Skin conductance level (SCL) via electrodermal activity (EDA) and survey questionnaires were used as objective and subjective measures of changes in individual stress levels after exposure to virtual environments. Participants (n=20) were recruited and randomly assigned to either the underwater or city group. The findings indicated that participants self-reported a decrease in stress levels after the VR underwater experience compared to those who experienced the city experience. However, there was no significant difference observed in the changes of stress level between the water and city groups as measured by SCL. Nonetheless, these results may suggest that either VR scene could offer stress-reduction benefits.
Recommended Citation
MacDonald, Nthabeleng, "Electrodermal Activity in Response to Stress Reduction: Virtual Reality Experience in Hydrotherapy and Non-Hydrotherapy Environments" (2023). Undergraduate University Honors Capstones. 94.
https://ida.gallaudet.edu/honors_capstones/94
