The Efficacy of Virtual Reality Therapy on Mental Health of Tertiary Education Students in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Bodisere Juliet Teibowei

Bodisere Juliet Teibowei PhD, Department of Foundations, Arts and Social Science Education, Faculty of Education, Federal University Otuoke, Nigeria

Keywords: Efficacy, Virtual Reality Therapy, Mental Health, Tertiary Education Students

Abstract

The study evaluates the efficacy of virtual reality therapy on mental health of tertiary education students in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the efficacy of VRT on mental health of tertiary education students and determine the influence of gender on the effectiveness of VRT on mental health of tertiary education students in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. Sample comprised 60 students selected through purposive sampling technique comprising 30 males and 30 females. Three stages were used in collecting data: pre-treatment, treatment and post-treatment. Quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. Two instruments were used, the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9) developed by Spitzer et al. (1999) and Mental Health Inventory-18 (MHI) by Veit and Ware (1983). Reliability of the instruments was established through test-retest; coefficients obtained were 0.85 and 0.88 for PHQ-9 and MHI-18 respectively confirming their reliability for use in the study. The data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions while the hypotheses were tested using independent t-test statistics. The results revealed that there was a significant effect of VRT on mental health of tertiary education students and that gender had significant influence on the effectiveness of VRT on mental health of tertiary education students in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that educational institutions should embrace personalized AI-driven counselling to enhance students’ engagement, and that educational institutions should foster continuous professional development, promoting collaboration to create more effective, efficient, and equitable support systems for students.

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