A study on the effectiveness of immersive VR boxing games in improving depression levels among female college students with elevated depressive symptoms.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of immersive VR boxing games on depression levels and neural activity in female college students with mild depressive symptoms.

METHODS

Undergraduate students participating in public physical education courses at Shaanxi Normal University were screened using the thirteen-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13). Those scoring above the normal range were selected as pre-candidates. Ultimately, 56 female college students with mild depression symptoms (SDS index score ≥53) were selected as the final experimental participants through the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) screening. They were randomly assigned to the VR boxing group (n = 28) and the control group (n = 28) using a digital table method, and subsequent interventions were conducted. The SDS was used to evaluate depression levels before and after the intervention. Spectral power analysis was conducted using EEG technology to interpret changes in brain neural activity characteristics associated with improvements in depression levels.

RESULTS

1) Changes in SDS scores before and after the intervention showed a significant reduction in depression levels in the VR boxing group (from 57.79 to 52.61). 2) Changes in brain power spectrum characteristics before and after the intervention revealed a significant increase in total power in both left and right frontal lobes in the VR boxing group (left frontal lobe increased from 37.80μV2 to 47.93μV2; right frontal lobe increased from 37.29μV2 to 53.61μV2). The frontal alpha asymmetry improved in the VR boxing group (lateralization 1 increased from -0.03 to 0.03; lateralization 2 increased from -0.03 to 0.40).

CONCLUSION

A 30-min moderate-intensity immersive VR boxing game significantly improved frontal lobe lateralization and promoted left frontal lobe activation among female college students with elevated depressive symptoms, thereby reducing depression levels. This study, leveraging immersive VR technology, provides a novel approach to overcoming the spatiotemporal constraints of traditional exercise interventions.