The Effect of Virtual Reality-based Psychological Stability Intervention Program on the Respiration Rate and Heart Rate Stability Students with Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the effects of a virtual reality-based psychological stability intervention program on the respiration rate and heart rate stability of students with developmental disabilities. For this purpose, 12 high school students with developmental disabilities participated, with 6 participants in both the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a virtual reality-based psychological stability program, while the control group participated only in assessments during regular class activities at the same time as the experimental group. The virtual reality psychological stability intervention program was conducted over 12 sessions. Assessments were conducted with a pre-evaluation before the intervention was introduced, and evaluations were carried out at the 4th, 8th, and 12th sessions. Respiration rate and heart rate measurements were taken both before the start of the class and after the class concluded, and the difference was calculated. The collected data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test method, which are non-parametric tests. In the result, the experimental group that participated in the virtual reality-based psychological stability program showed more stabilized respiration and heart rate compared to the control group, according to the research results. These research findings are expecte to serve as fundamental material for the development and application for various contents aimed at inducing psychological stability in students with developmental disabilities.