Comparing 360-degree VR Video of Local vs Overseas Environment on Psychological Health

Medical students frequently experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression due to intense academic pressures. While spending time outdoors in nature is a proven way to reduce these negative feelings, students rarely have the time to do so. This study aims to find out if using a 360-degree Virtual Reality (VR) headset to experience immersive nature environments can provide similar relaxing benefits. The main question this study attempts to answer is whether the type of nature environment matters: Does watching a familiar, local Malaysian nature scene reduce stress more or less effectively than watching a novel, overseas nature scene? The researchers hypothesize that a brief, 15-minute exposure to either 360-degree VR nature environment will successfully reduce short-term feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, they hypothesize that there will be a measurable difference in the psychological benefits between the local and overseas environments, driven by either the comfort of familiarity (local) or the distraction of escapism (overseas).