Increasing self-compassion in young people through virtual reality
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Authors
Baghaei, Nilufar
Hach, Sylvia
Khaliq, I.
Stemmet, L.
Krishnan, J.
Naslund, J.
Liang, H.L.
Sharifzadeh, Hamid
Hach, Sylvia
Khaliq, I.
Stemmet, L.
Krishnan, J.
Naslund, J.
Liang, H.L.
Sharifzadeh, Hamid
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Date
2019-10
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Conference Contribution - Paper in Published Proceedings
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
New Zealand
youth
virtual reality (VR) in health
self-compassion /self-criticism
adolescents
depression (psychology)
self-monitoring
health interventions
youth
virtual reality (VR) in health
self-compassion /self-criticism
adolescents
depression (psychology)
self-monitoring
health interventions
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Baghaei, N., Hach, S., Khaliq, I., Stemmet, L., Krishnan, J., Naslund, J., Liang, H-L., & Sharifzadeh, H. (2019). Increasing Self-Compassion in Young People through Virtual Reality. Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR)
Abstract
As part of our proposal, we aim to:
provide increased practice/exposure and target a younger audience
increase the chance of generalisation to everyday life
employ better VR visualisation, e.g. assigning more realistic hand gestures and facial expressions to the characters in the virtual world
target young adults (18-25), as in most countries mental healthcare services for children and young people do not provide satisfactory care, and the gap between need and access is broadest for those aged 12-25 years.
Mental health conditions pose a major challenge to healthcare providers and society at large. According to the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, one in five people will develop a serious mood disorder, including depression, at some time in their life. Early intervention can have a significant positive impact on a person’s prognosis, particularly important in affecting outcomes for young people. Co-designed solutions to improve resilience and well-being in young people have specifically been recognised as part of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and the New Zealand Health Strategy. Innovative interventions that support long-term change for individuals are urgently needed.
Self-compassion/self-criticism constitutes a protective/risk factor with regard to developing and maintaining depression; particularly in young people. Self-criticism is one of the major psychological factors, defined as the dominant response style of negative evaluation and judgment of self to perceived failure. One effective method to increase self-compassion and reduction in depression may be to address self-criticism through compassion-focused therapy.
Virtual Reality (VR) in Health is an emerging field. It is becoming more commonplace with the advent of affordable
consumer head-mounted devices, and has significant potential for the understanding, assessment, and treatment of mental health problems. It can provide a non-threatening, zero risk environment that allows for free exploring of different strategies. We propose to take this new technology and codesign Virtual Reality scenarios with young people, which focuses on real-world situations that impact the sample group most and assists them to view these experiences with a self-compassionate lens. This is achieved by being taught compassionate manners of responding to a scenario and by switching perspective. We provide an overview of an initial proof-of-concept study, propose a study in different social settings and highlight key points for discussion pertaining to technology use, data safety, privacy, and considerations for addressing depressive symptoms necessary to advance this work
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