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BACKGROUND: Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used to study and treat psychiatric disorders. Its fidelity depends in part on the extent to which the VR environment provides a convincing simulation, for example whether a putatively stressful VR situation actually produces a stress response. METHODS: We studied the stress response in 28 healthy men exposed either to a stressor VR elevator (which simulated travelling up the outside of a tall building and culminated in the participant being asked to step off the elevator platform), or to a control elevator. We measured psychological and physiological (salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase, blood pressure, pulse, skin conductance) stress indices. We also measured subsequent performance on the N-back task because acute stress has been reported to impact on working memory. RESULTS: Compared to participants in the control elevator, those in the external elevator had increases in skin conductance, pulse and subjective stress and anxiety ratings, altered heart rate variability, and a delayed rise in cortisol. N-back performance was unaffected. CONCLUSIONS: A putatively stressful VR elevator produces a physiological as well as a psychological stress response, supporting its use in the investigation and treatment of stress-related disorders, and its potential value as an experimental laboratory stressor.

Original publication

DOI

10.1177/0269881119860156

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Psychopharmacol

Publication Date

10/2019

Volume

33

Pages

1264 - 1273

Keywords

Virtual reality, cortisol, stress, Adult, Blood Pressure, Galvanic Skin Response, Heart Rate, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Psychomotor Performance, Salivary alpha-Amylases, Stress, Psychological, Virtual Reality, Young Adult