This study aimed to explore the effects of a combination of 3D virtual reality (VR) and hands-on horticultural activities on the mental health of community-dwelling older adults.
Aging societies are of public health concern worldwide. It is critical to develop strategies that harness technology to enhance older adults' mental health. This study aimed to explore the effects of a combination of three-dimensional virtual reality (3D VR) and hands-on horticultural activities on the mental health of community-dwelling older adults. Used a quasi-experimental design. A total of 62 community-dwelling older adults were recruited. The members of the experimental group participated in an 8-week intervention program. Participants of both groups completed before-and-after intervention measurements for outcome variables that included perceived self-esteem, depression, isolation, mastery and achievement motives, which were analyzed using the generalized estimating equation (GEE). This study found beneficial effects of a combination of 3D VR and hands-on horticultural activities on community-dwelling older adults' mental health.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
62
The intervention program consisted of 8 two-hour sessions that were conducted once a week for 8 consecutive weeks.
National Taiwan Normal University
Taipei, Taiwan
Self-esteem
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale consists of 14 items and each item is scored on a Likert-type scale that ranges from 1 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree), with higher scores indicating a higher level of self-esteem.
Time frame: about three months
Depression
The Chinese version of the Geriatric Depression Scale was used, which has a total of 15 items. All items were answered as either yes (1) or no (0). The total raw scores ranged from 0 to 15, with a higher score indicating a higher level of depression.
Time frame: about three months
Perceived isolation
A short-form scale of perceived isolation was used to measure isolation. Each item was scored on a Likert-type scale from 1 (never) to 4 (often), with higher scores indicating a higher level of perceived isolation.
Time frame: about three months
Perceived mastery
The Chinese version of the Perceived Mastery Scale with a total of 7 items was used. Each item was scored on a Likert-type scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree). The total raw score ranged from 7 to 28, with a higher score indicating a higher level of perceived mastery.
Time frame: about three months
Achievement motives
The Achievement Motives Scale (AMS) consists of two kinds of motives, referred to as Motive to Achieve Success, (MAS) and Motive to Avoid Failure (MAF). A short-form scale with 10 items was used to measure achievement motives, with 5 items each for MAS and MAF. Each item was scored on a Likert-type scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree).
Time frame: about three months
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