Your new experience awaits. Try the new design now and help us make it even better

BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Psychol.

Sec. Environmental Psychology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1592649

This article is part of the Research TopicNarrating the environment: Innovation, looks and stories on real and virtual boundariesView all 8 articles

"University Stress" Exploring the Potential Impact of an Immersive Art Experience on a College Campus

Provisionally accepted
Lyn GodleyLyn Godley1C Virginia O'HayerC Virginia O'Hayer2Raegan DavisRaegan Davis3Emily WakschalEmily Wakschal2*Chelsi NurseChelsi Nurse2Wendy RossWendy Ross4Abigail SprakerAbigail Spraker5Nate GodshallNate Godshall3Rosemary FrassoRosemary Frasso3*
  • 1School of Design and Engineering, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  • 2Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Jefferson University Hospitals, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, United States
  • 3Jefferson College of Populations Health, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  • 4Center for Autism & Neurodiversity, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
  • 5Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Select one of your emails

You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:

Notify me on publication

Please enter your email address:

If you already have an account, please login

You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here

There is growing interest in the effects of immersive art on well-being, which engages multiple senses and facilitates deeper engagement. University settings, particularly during high-stress periods like exams, are increasingly emphasizing mental health interventions to combat rising rates of anxiety, depression, stress, and suicidal ideation. This study investigates the potential of a fully immersive art experience to positively impact mood and reduce stress in a university setting. Pre-and post-visit questionnaires, including the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) survey, were administered to assess emotional changes. Additional open-ended questions provided qualitative feedback. Results showed statistically significant decreases in 12 negative affect scores and increases in 9 positive affect scores. Overall PANAS scores increased by a median of 6 points, indicating improved mood post-experience. Qualitative data highlighted the exhibit's calming and restorative effects; many participants suggested amending the availability of such installations to a year-round schedule, in order to further promote student mental health.

Keywords: Art and well-being, Immersive art experiences, Mental health benefits, Multisensoryengagement, stress reduction, College student wellbeing

Received: 12 Mar 2025; Accepted: 09 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Godley, O'Hayer, Davis, Wakschal, Nurse, Ross, Spraker, Godshall and Frasso. 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:
Emily Wakschal, emily.wakschal@jefferson.edu
Rosemary Frasso, rosie.frasso@jefferson.edu

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.

Supplementary Material