A recent study conducted by a team at Stanford Medicine has revealed that virtual reality (VR)-guided meditation can significantly reduce anxiety in parents of hospitalized children. The research, published in the Journal of Patient Experience, showed that using a VR headset for a short, guided meditation helped parents relax and develop coping skills, reducing anxiety by about 30%.
The study was particularly beneficial for Spanish-speaking families who could engage with the meditation in their native language. “We know parents and other caregivers suffer acute anxiety when caring for their children in the hospital,” stated Dr. Thomas Caruso, pediatric anesthesiologist and senior author of the study. “As part of our mission to provide family-centered care, we should address that.”
Dr. Caruso noted the challenge hospitals face in providing enough in-person mental health support for every parent but highlighted VR as an effective alternative. “We showed that VR is a reasonable alternative – one that can be widely available, quickly scaled, and highly effective,” he said.
The six-minute guided meditation immerses users in a tranquil mountain scene with visuals such as a creek and northern lights. Participants are guided through breathing exercises accompanied by soft music.
Involving 101 parents who completed the VR meditation and another 99 who used traditional methods like talking to friends or listening to music, the study found those using VR reported significantly lower anxiety levels.
Ricardo Jimenez, medical student and lead author of the study, emphasized the lack of mental health resources for Spanish-speaking populations. “We think the effect was larger because there is a bigger unmet need,” he said.
Jimenez’s personal experiences motivated his involvement in this research due to challenges faced by his Spanish-speaking family within healthcare systems. He observed that language barriers often increase anxiety among non-English speaking parents.
This research is part of broader efforts by Stanford Medicine’s Chariot Program to explore technology-based solutions for managing pain and stress in pediatric care settings. The program aims to expand its library of VR-based mental health materials beyond English and Spanish languages.
Parents have responded positively to these tools designed initially for children’s comfort during hospital stays. Dr. Caruso recalled how many caregivers expressed interest after seeing their children’s positive experiences with similar VR tools: “Quite frequently, while we were engaging with a child, parents or caregivers would say ‘Man, I wish we had access to something like this!’” Now they do.
This article was originally published by Stanford Medicine.
Elizabeth Valente
Tel: 650-269-5401
evalente@stanfordchildrens.org
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