How Personality and Affective Responses Are Associated with Skepticism Towards Virtual Reality in Medical Training—A Pre-Post Intervention Study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22004226 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tobias Mühling (0000-0001-5660-8005, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, corresponding author), Joy Backhaus (0009-0005-6166-8973, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg), Lea Demmler (Universitätsklinikum Würzburg), Sarah König (0000-0003-4866-9881, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 335-341 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2152-2715 • E-ISSN: 2152-2723 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1089/cyber.2024.0567 |
| PMID | 40219582 |
| OpenAlex | W4409377755 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
Virtual reality (VR) offers a safe, immersive environment for medical training, but some users remain skeptical about a broader implementation. Our study aims to explore how personality traits, affective responses, and task-related perceptions correlate with attitudes towards VR-based medical emergency training. Forty-seven medical students participated in a 30-minute VR emergency training. Personality traits were assessed using the short version of the Big Five Inventory beforehand, while affective responses (using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, PANAS), stress, and motivation were measured before and after the training. Participants also rated the sessions’ difficulty, cognitive challenge, and technical maturity of the VR program and their acceptance of VR for training and examination purposes. Cluster analysis identified three groups: Cluster 1, characterized by low technical affinity, limited prior VR experience, and high extraversion, demonstrated the greatest increase in negative affective responses and the lowest VR acceptance. In contrast, cluster 3, with high technical affinity and neuroticism, experienced more positive affective responses and increased motivation, expressing high acceptance of VR for training purposes but some reservation regarding its use in examinations. Cluster 2 displayed balanced affective responses and strong support for VR use in both settings. Thematic analysis identified perceived lack of control due to insufficient medical knowledge, technical issues, and simulation sickness as sources of negative affective responses. In conclusion, personality and affective responses may play a significant role in shaping the attitude towards VR training applications. Uncovering emotional barriers to VR adoption among skeptical users and understanding their underlying reasons may inform future strategies for overcoming them. Given the relatively small sample size, results of this preliminary study should be expanded through further examination of diverse populations and a broader range of VR applications
Human–computer interaction · Personality · Psychiatry · Psychotherapist · Skepticism · Virtual reality · Applied Psychology · Clinical Psychology · Computer Science · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Psychology · Simulation-Based Education in Healthcare · Social Psychology · Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
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Statistical power for cluster analysis
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Learning in the Metaverse
Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |