Individual Characteristics Associated with the Sense of Presence and Immersive Experience Appreciation in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used in psychiatry to treat mental disorders. Virtual reality-based therapy (VRT) has been investigated across diverse clinical populations and therapeutic approaches. Because VRT replicates real-world environments, the sense of presence and appreciation of the immersive experience have emerged as key components that may influence treatment outcomes. Individual characteristics may contribute to these experiences. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine sociodemographic and clinical predictors of the sense of presence and appreciation of the immersive experience among users of two VR platforms, separately in 23 individuals with severe mental disorders (SMDs) and 20 individuals without a diagnosed mental disorder diagnosis. In this exploratory, crossover, double-blind study, 43 participants completed assessments of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, the sense of presence, and appreciation of the immersive experience. Multivariate linear mixed-effects models showed that among individuals with SMDs, employment status was significantly associated with appreciation of the immersive experience (B = −15.235; p = 0.026). No other sociodemographic or clinical characteristics were significantly associated with the sense of presence or appreciation of the immersive experience. Among individuals without a mental disorder diagnosis, no predictors were significantly associated with a sense of presence or appreciation of the immersive experience. Although most examined associations were not statistically significant, these findings may suggest that VR experiences are perceived relatively consistently across participants. However, this hypothesis should be interpreted with caution because of the limited sample size. Future studies with larger samples encompassing a broader range of clinical characteristics are needed, and these findings should be replicated in future studies of VRT.