Effects of multisensory virtual forest bathing on stress and well-being in young adults - a randomised controlled trial

Effects of multisensory virtual forest bathing on stress and well-being in young adults - a randomised controlled trial - REST – Reducing Emotional Stress through Technology

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00035057

Enrollment

128

Registered

2024-09-18

Start date

2024-10-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-10-06

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Z73

Interventions

Group 1: Virtual forest bathing (3D, 360°) via a head-mounted display (HMD) with typical forest sounds (rustling leaves, birdsong, footsteps) for a period of six minutes with and without the use of ty

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 40 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: - Sufficient knowledge of German to answer the questionnaires - Stable health status - Written consent to study participation and data collection

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: - Psychotropic medication and/or manifest mental illness (e.g. depression, generalised anxiety disorder, addiction) - Manifest neurological illness (e.g. dementia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease) - Medical intervention in the last three months (e.g. surgery, chemotherapy, etc.) - Severe visual impairment - Severe hearing impairment - Intolerance to essential oils - Epilepsy - Migraine

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Group difference (group with vs. group without olfactory stimulation) in the pre-post changes of positive and negative affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; PANAS) in the "virtual forest bathing" condition compared to the "gray screen" condition.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
- State Anxiety (State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory; STAI) - Perceived stress (11-point Visual Analogue Scale; VAS) - Restorative effect (Restoration Outcome Scale; ROS-6) - Present and future subjective vitality (Subjective Vitality Scale; SVS) - Sense of presence during the intervention conditions (iGroup Presence Questionnaire; IPQ) - Simulator Sickness (Simulator Sickness Questionnaire;, SSQ) - Heart rate/heart rate variability (HR/HRV) - Gastric myoelectric activity (Normo-to-tachy Ratio in the electrogastrogram) - Electrodermal activity (GSR) Additionally, the effects of "virtual forest bathing" compared to the active control "2D forest video" as well as the overall effects of "virtual forest bathing" independent of olfactory stimulation will be examined. Attitudes and expectations towards VR, nature connectedness, and personality factors will be examined as potential influencing variables.	—

Measure

Time frame

- State Anxiety (State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory; STAI) - Perceived stress (11-point Visual Analogue Scale; VAS) - Restorative effect (Restoration Outcome Scale; ROS-6) - Present and future subjective vitality (Subjective Vitality Scale; SVS) - Sense of presence during the intervention conditions (iGroup Presence Questionnaire; IPQ) - Simulator Sickness (Simulator Sickness Questionnaire;, SSQ) - Heart rate/heart rate variability (HR/HRV) - Gastric myoelectric activity (Normo-to-tachy Ratio in the electrogastrogram) - Electrodermal activity (GSR) Additionally, the effects of "virtual forest bathing" compared to the active control "2D forest video" as well as the overall effects of "virtual forest bathing" independent of olfactory stimulation will be examined. Attitudes and expectations towards VR, nature connectedness, and personality factors will be examined as potential influencing variables.

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactKarin Meißner

Hochschule Coburg

karin.meissner@hs-coburg.de+4995613178030

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026