Pause & Refresh: formative evaluation of a virtual nature initiative to tackle stress among university students.

Background: Immersive Virtual Nature (IVN) can provide psychological benefits such as stress relief and foster engagement with nature. Methods: Through a mixed methods approach with sequential explanatory design, we conducted a formative evaluation of an IVN initiative for university students, inclu...

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Publicado en:Journal of American College Health Vol. 74; no. 2; pp. 494 - 504
Autores principales: Wolter-Paulsen, Sandra, Didriksen, Synne Menes, Litleskare, Sigbjørn, Calogiuri, Giovanna
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Feb2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Feb2026
      vid: 74
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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        10.1080/07448481.2025.2537104
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        atl: Pause & Refresh: formative evaluation of a virtual nature initiative to tackle stress among university students.
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        au:
          Wolter-Paulsen, Sandra
          Didriksen, Synne Menes
          Litleskare, Sigbjørn
          Calogiuri, Giovanna
        affil: Centre for Health and Technology, Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Drammen, Norway
      sug:
        subj:
          Virtual Reality Utilization
          Stress, Psychological Prevention and Control
          Students, College Psychosocial Factors
          Recreational Therapy
          Program Evaluation
          Natural Environment
          Colleges and Universities
          Human
          Funding Source
          Male
          Female
          Multimethod Studies
          Adult
          Questionnaires
          Qualitative Studies
          Surveys
          Scales
          Summated Rating Scaling
          Descriptive Statistics
          Mann-Whitney U Test
          Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test
          Data Analysis Software
          Focus Groups
          Thematic Analysis
          Fatigue
          Affect
          Intention
          Sensory Stimulation
          Health Promotion
          Implementation Science
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Background: Immersive Virtual Nature (IVN) can provide psychological benefits such as stress relief and foster engagement with nature. Methods: Through a mixed methods approach with sequential explanatory design, we conducted a formative evaluation of an IVN initiative for university students, including a prototype testing trial (n = 54), focus groups with students and experts (n = 7), and a workshop with representatives of the Student Welfare Organization. Results: The integrated findings indicated that the IVN experience was associated with stress relief and increased nature connectedness, though its potential to encourage nature visits was limited. Some issues (e.g., a wish for more variation) and technical challenges (e.g., somewhat poor video and sound quality) were highlighted, alongside suggestions on how to best deliver the initiative on campus. Discussion: This study provides novel knowledge about IVN as a means of health promotion among university students, emphasizing the value of adopting participatory approaches when designing IVN-based initiatives.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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