Using Virtual Reality in Mental Health Nursing to Improve Behavioral Health Equity

In a 2024 study published in CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, researchers Sheri Howard, PhD, RN, CHSE, and Meghan Meadows-Taylor, MPH, PhD investigated the use of virtual reality to improve nursing students' attitudes toward patients with mental health conditions. Their paper, "Using Virtual Reality in Mental Health Nursing to Improve Behavioral Health Equity," addressed a critical challenge in nursing education: the anxiety, stress, and fear nursing students often experience during mental health clinical rotations.

The study employed a mixed-method comparative analysis with 86 first-year BSN students across rural and urban campuses in the southern United States. The intervention group participated in a VR simulation using the UbiSim platform, which transported students to a virtual outpatient mental health clinic where they conducted assessments and practiced therapeutic communication with a virtual patient experiencing anxiety.

Results

• UbiSim VR users demonstrated 32.2% less stigma on the STIG-9 questionnaire compared to the control group. 
• UbiSim improved students’ attitudes about social restrictiveness by 22.2%, indicating they viewed patients with mental illness as less threatening after the VR experience. 
• Qualitative findings strongly supported these results, with students reporting greater confidence, less fear, better therapeutic communication skills, and reduced stereotyping of patients with mental health conditions.

Implications

The researchers concluded that VR simulation provides nursing students with a greater understanding of equitable behavioral health while allowing them to analyze personal biases in a controlled environment. This research contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting UbiSim as an effective pedagogical tool for preparing nursing students to provide equitable behavioral healthcare and potentially addressing the shortage of nurses choosing to specialize in mental health.