Virtual Fresh Air Breaks in Locked Psychiatric Units: Pre–Post Study of Mood, Distress, and Anxiety With Evaluation of Feasibility and Acceptability (Preprint)
Notice bibliographique
Résumé
BACKGROUND Supervised fresh-air breaks (FABs) were shown to be a promising method that can support individual health. Nevertheless, labor shortage, as well as other concerns related to safety and environment, can hinder its application in many healthcare settings. Virtual reality (VR) may offer an indoor, immersive alternative that replicates natural environments and supports emotional regulation in confined settings. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the immediate and short-term effects of a brief, nature-based virtual fresh-air break (VFAB) on mood, anxiety, and subjective distress, and to assess feasibility, acceptability, usability, presence, cybersickness, and safety among adult psychiatric inpatients. METHODS A prospective, single-arm pilot study was conducted on a 20-bed locked medical–surgical psychiatric unit at Tufts Medical Center between July and August 2025. Eligible adults were English-speaking, able to provide informed consent, and deemed by the treating team to be suitable for participation without any acute behavioral or safety concerns. Participants completed one 15-minute VFAB session using a standalone Meta Quest 2 headset (Nature Treks VR, Greener Games Ltd; Pine Vesta environment) while seated in a monitored private room. Mood, anxiety, and subjective distress were rated using 0–10 numeric scales before, immediately after, and 48 hours after the session. Post-session questionnaires assessed presence (modified Igroup Presence Questionnaire), usability (System Usability Scale [SUS]), and cybersickness (Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire [VRSQ]). Acceptability and feedback were collected post-session, and records were reviewed for safety outcomes within 48 hours. Data were analyzed using Friedman tests for repeated measures and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Bonferroni correction, with P < .05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS Of 64 patients screened, 39 (60.9 %) were eligible and 26 (66.7 % of eligible) participated. Most participants (19/26, 73.1 %) were restricted from physical FABs. Median anxiety scores decreased from 5.0 (pre-VR) to 2.0 (post-VR; P = .018) and median distress from 5.0 to 1.0 (P = .001), both returning toward baseline by 48 hours (P = .011 and P = .007). Mood increased non significantly from 5.0 to 7.0 (P = .052; overall P = .066). Usability was high (median SUS 80.0, IQR 72.5–86.9) and cybersickness low (median VRSQ 2.0, IQR 0–6). Presence ratings indicated strong immersion (general presence median 2.0). Nearly all sessions were completed (23/26, 88.5 %), and 69.2 % of participants strongly recommended the experience; 76.9 % wished to repeat it. No adverse events, including seizures, agitation, or restraints, occurred within 48 hours. CONCLUSIONS VFAB was feasible, acceptable, and safe in an acute psychiatric unit and produced immediate reductions in anxiety and distress. While effects were not sustained at 48 hours, the intervention was well tolerated with minimal cybersickness and high usability. Findings support evaluation of repeated sessions and comparative trials against supervised outdoor breaks.
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Comment cette classification a été obtenuedéplier
Prédiction machine sur la base complète
Imitation des enseignantsNi prévalence calibrée, ni vérité terrain. Validation humaine à venir. Le volet Gemma est une étiquette directe du modèle pour chaque travail de la base, lue sur la notice réduite au titre. Le volet Codex est un classifieur appris des 10 348 étiquettes directes de Codex et calibré sur les taux pondérés de l'échantillon; les champs sans appui suffisant ne portent aucun appel Codex. Le mode candidate est l'union des deux volets; le consensus est leur intersection. Ces sorties portent le statut machine_predicted_unvalidated et ne sont pas des étiquettes humaines.
Scores du classifieur distillé par catégorie (deux têtes)
| Catégorie | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Métarecherche | 0,001 | 0,003 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens strict) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens large) | 0,001 | 0,001 |
| Bibliométrie | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Études des sciences et des technologies | 0,001 | 0,000 |
| Communication savante | 0,001 | 0,000 |
| Science ouverte | 0,000 | 0,001 |
| Intégrité de la recherche | 0,000 | 0,001 |
| Charge utile insuffisante (le modèle a refusé de juger) | 0,003 | 0,001 |
Scores machine (provisoires)
Les deux têtes enseignantes du modèle étudiant, lues sur ce travail. Un score ordonne la base pour la relecture; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie, et le statut de validation accompagne chaque rangée tel quel.
Scores de référence d'un modèle non mature (critères de maturité non atteints, 7 itérations). Un score ordonne; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · tel quel depuis la passe de notation : score_only signifie que le nombre peut ordonner les travaux, et qu'aucune étiquette de catégorie n'en découleClassification
machine, non validéePrédiction automatique; un appel candidat d’une seule source (Gemma direct ou Codex distillé), pas un consensus.
Le détail, modèle par modèle et score par score, se trouve en fin de page sous « Comment cette classification a été obtenue ».