MOMS IMMERSED IN THEIR WORK: VIRTUAL REALITY AND MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION AFTER MATERNITY LEAVE

Abstract

"Mental health, well-being, performance, and numerous other variables in the workplace are frequently managed through a multidisciplinary approach aimed to make the organization more productive. New technology, such as virtual reality (VR), can be adapted to very different needs. It can enhance psychological intervention on workers, making them more effective and efficient. Several studies have analyzed the effectiveness of training with VR in the workplace. VR can be used mainly for: learning relaxation techniques, promoting stress reduction; enhancing personal resources, managing difficult situations; reducing anxiety and depression, both on its own or combined with exposure therapy, which allows to use scenarios and situations that are impossible to implement in vivo. Return to work (RTW) after maternity leave is a common transition in women’s lives that may be a challenge. Several mothers leave their job to devote themselves to their children’s care and development. However, that choice is not always a free and personal decision: it may be based on issues related to work-life balance and employment after childbirth or on supervisors’ and colleagues’ messages about motherhood being inappropriate in the work context. Expectations and responsibilities related to the role of mother are intertwined with those related to the world of work. With the aim of exploring and enhancing the personal and professional resources of working mothers and deconstructing irrational beliefs on the role of mother and worker, a psychological protocol based on VR was proposed to a small number of working mothers currently engaged in the caregiving of preschool children. The four-step VR-based training comprises two sessions focusing on body consciousness, and two focusing on psychological techniques. The efficacy of the protocol is evaluated through the comparison of questionnaires administered pre and post intervention. We assumed that: the reinforcement of personal resources may trigger a spiral of “gain” capable of leading the person to positive outcomes both in the work and in the private sphere; the increase of work resources may activate a motivational process with positive outcomes for health. The limitations of the study are related to the number of participants and to the lack of a control group. Future research could include longitudinal studies involving participants from different organizations. The VR protocol can be a useful contribution to support mothers’ RTW after maternity leave while, at the same time, helping organizations to be healthier and more efficient."