ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Anxiety and Stress Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1588745
VR Sculpting as a Therapeutic Intervention for Alleviating Anxiety: A Case Study from a University Art Class
Provisionally accepted
- 1Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao, SAR China
- 2Xiamen University Tan Kah Kee College, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
- 3Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
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Background: Anxiety among university students has become increasingly prominent in higher education settings, adversely affecting not only their academic performance but also their overall mental health. While medication and psychological interventions can help alleviate anxiety to some extent, it is crucial for this particular group to find more convenient, easily accepted nonpharmacological approaches. Art therapy, especially hands-on creative activities, is considered an effective means of regulating anxiety, yet research on virtual reality (VR) sculpting remains relatively scarce.Objective: This paper aims to investigate the therapeutic effects of VR sculpting on college students' anxiety levels and assess its impact on psychological well-being and physiological relaxation, as measured by heart rate variability (HRV).The study recruited 30 undergraduates, evaluating their anxiety levels via the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), psychological well-being via the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and physiological relaxation via HRV. Subsequently, we monitored how VRbased artistic sculpting influenced changes in GAD-7, PANAS, and HRV scores.Comparing the data before and after the art-based intervention revealed a significant decrease in participants' GAD-7 scores, a substantial rise in PANAS scores indicating enhanced psychological well-being (p < 0.05), and a marked increase in HRV, suggesting VR sculpting can promote physiological relaxation. Qualitative interviews further showed that most participants experienced strong focus and emotional release during the VR sculpting process.As a non-pharmacological art therapy method, VR sculpting demonstrates a notably positive effect on reducing anxiety and improving mental well-being among university students. This study provides compelling evidence for using art therapy to address mental health issues in a college environment. Future research should consider longer intervention periods and more varied measures to further investigate the long-term effectiveness and broader applicability of this approach.
Keywords: virtual reality sculpting, Anxiety reduction, higher education, art therapy intervention, Art classes
Received: 06 Mar 2025; Accepted: 02 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ding, Lin, Xu, Shang and Han. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Huan Ding, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao, SAR China
Bo Lin, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, Fujian Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.