How Virtual Reality Therapy Affects Refugees from Ukraine - acute stress reduction pilot study

Abstract

This paper extends and builds upon our previous research concerning Virtual Reality (VR) with bilateral stimulation as an automated stress-reduction therapy tool. The study coincided with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, thus the software was tailored to reduce the stress of war refugees. We created a 28 minutes relaxation training program in a virtual, relaxing environment in the form of a cozy apartment in the mountains. An integral part of this tool is a set of sensors, which collects and records objective physiological measures to evaluate the system's effectiveness. A pilot treatment programme, incorporating the VR system mentioned above was carried out on the experimental group of 55 Ukrainian refugees who participated in up to five relaxation training sessions. Before starting the session, baseline features such as subjectively perceived stress, mood, galvanic skin response, and EEG were registered. The monitoring of physiological indicators was continued during the training session. Before and after the session, volunteers were asked to fill in questionnaires regarding their current stress level and mood. The obtained results were analyzed in terms of variability over time: before, during, and after the session.