Virtual reality in adolescent mental health management under the new media communication environment

Statistical analysis of questionnaire results

The questionnaires collected in control and experimental groups are screened, and the unqualified questionnaires are eliminated. Finally, 371 cases in the experimental group and 370 cases in the control group are obtained. First, the basic demographic analysis of the respondents is carried out, as expressed in Table 1.

Table 1 provides a detailed comparison of basic demographic characteristics between experimental and control groups. The gender distribution reveals that the proportion of men and women in the two groups is very close, 53.9% and 46.1% in the experimental group and 53.5% and 46.5% in the control group, respectively. The t-test results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in gender between the two groups, with a p-value of 0.903. Grade distribution from seventh to twelfth grade is relatively even in both groups, and the p-values from t-tests are all greater than 0.05, illustrating no remarkable differences in grade composition. Regarding ownership of new media devices, 67.4% and 67% of participants in experimental and control groups have these devices, with a non-significant difference (p = 0.932). The distribution of students from urban and rural areas is similar between the experimental group (53.9%) and the control group (53.5%), as well as (46.1% and 46.5%), with a p-value of 0.903. Parental education levels, ranging from elementary school to college and above, present similar proportions in both groups, with p-values ranging from 0.778 to 0.903. It demonstrates no statistically significant differences across any education level. The distribution of parental occupations, encompassing individual merchants, farmers, clerks, and unemployed, is also similar in both groups, with all t-test p-values greater than 0.05, illustrating no significant differences. Overall, the statistics in Table 1 show no significant differences between the two groups in demographic variables such as gender, grade, ownership of new media devices, origin of students, parental education, and parental occupation. This balanced sample allocation is a vital aspect of study design, as it helps ensure the study results’ reliability and validity and reduces the possible effects of sample selection bias. According to such a balanced sample, further analysis of the impact of experimental interventions on adolescent mental health management can be conducted with greater confidence.

The reliability and validity of the survey results are further tested. The reliability test measures the same problem repeatedly to ensure the accuracy of the survey results. Validity tests the accuracy of a study. The results are highly consistent with the research content, and the higher the validity. This study employs the structural validity method, conducts factor analysis using SPSS software, and selects KMO and Bartlett to test its sphericity. The reliability and validity are tested, and the results are plotted in Figs. 3 and 4.

Cronbach’s α values for all variables exceed 0.800, indicating high internal consistency and reliability of the questionnaire.

KMO values exceed 0.700, and Bartlett’s test results are significant (Sig.).

Figures 3 and 4 suggest that Cronbach α values of all variables in this questionnaire are greater than 0.800, KMO values exceed 0.700, and Sig. values are all 0.000 and less than 0.050, demonstrating that the designed questionnaires have obvious internal consistency and stability and have high reliability. Simultaneously, all scales’ reliability and validity are in line with the specific specifications of case analysis.

Descriptive statistical analysis is made on the questionnaire results of experimental and control groups from five dimensions: emotional attitude, cognitive ability, social interaction, adaptability, and social behavior. The results of the cognitive and emotional ability dimensions are listed in Table 1 and Fig. 5. The social behavior, adaptability, and social interaction dimensions are denoted in Figs. 6–8.

The experimental group showed higher levels of concentration, humor, optimism, and resilience (over 44%) compared to the control group (less than 34.05%), highlighting the potential advantages of VR technology in enhancing emotional attitudes among teenagers.

The experimental group exhibited higher levels of empathy, altruism, and helping behaviors (over 56.87%) compared to the control group (less than 24.59%), suggesting that VR technology enhances social behavior in teenagers.

Over 46.63% of the experimental group demonstrated strong adaptability, compared to less than 24.86% in the control group, indicating that VR technology enhances teenagers’ adaptability.

The experimental group exhibited stronger interpersonal relationships, group role-playing, stress management, and independent problem-solving skills (over 44.74%) compared to the control group, demonstrating VR technology’s effectiveness in enhancing social interaction abilities.

In the dimension of cognitive ability, the data in Table 2 shows that the experimental group is in a positive state after VR technology is applied to its mental health management, among which more than 50% of people always have a strong desire to explore things they don’t know, and the number of people who agree with other questions exceeds 37.20%. However, the control group’s overall performance is relatively negative, and the proportion of people who meet each question is less than 35.14%. Thus, these comparative values emphasize the potential strengths of VR technology in enhancing teenagers’ attention, detail observation, and problem-solving ability.

Figure 5 denotes that in the dimension of emotional attitude, more than 44% of the respondents in the experimental group align with the mentality of concentration, humour, optimism, and resilience, while the proportion of those in the control group is less than 34.05%. Therefore, this dimension emphasizes that VR technology has potential advantages in improving teenagers’ humour, optimism, concentration, and resilience.

Figure 6 demonstrates that in the dimension of social behavior, the number of respondents in the experimental group in empathy (C1), altruism (C2), helping others (C3), and other behaviors outperform 56.87%, while the control group has less than 24.59% of respondents in these indicators. Therefore, this dimension indicates that VR technology has latent strengths in promoting teenagers’ empathy, altruism, and helping others.

In the adaptability dimension, Fig. 7 displays that over 46.63% of the respondents in the experimental group have strong adaptability, while the respondents’ adaptability in the control group is markedly lower, and the proportion of people who meet with strong ability is less than 24.86%. As a result, the dimension illustrates that VR technology has obvious potential advantages in facilitating teenagers’ adaptability.

In Fig. 8, further analysis of the survey results of the social interaction dimension presents that the experimental group has strong abilities in interpersonal relationship (E1), group role-playing (E2), stress management (E3), and independent problem solving (E4), and the number of people who meet the requirements exceeds 44.74%, while the control group has strong abilities in the same indicators. Thus, it indicates that VR technology has robust intervention advantages in improving teenagers’ E1, E2, E3, and E4.

The results of multiple regression analysis are described in Table 3. Table 3 discusses the impact of VR technology intervention on different dimensions of adolescent mental health. The analysis reveals that VR technology intervention has prominent positive effects on cognitive ability, emotional attitude, and social behavior. Specifically, the regression coefficient of cognitive ability is 0.45, illustrating that VR technology intervention has a greater effect on improving adolescents’ cognitive ability. This is statistically significant (p < 0.01), indicating that this result is highly credible. The regression coefficients of emotional attitude and social behavior are 0.34 and 0.39, respectively, and the influence of these two dimensions is also statistically significant (p < 0.05). It means that VR technology intervention can effectively promote the development of emotional attitudes and the improvement of the social behavior of adolescents. Moreover, although adaptive ability and social interaction do not reach the significance level of 0.05, the P-value of adaptive ability is 0.07, demonstrating a certain influence trend. This may indicate that VR technology intervention has a certain positive impact on adolescents’ adaptive ability, but more data or research is needed to verify it. The p-value for social interaction is 0.03, presenting that VR technology intervention positively influences enhancing adolescents’ social interaction abilities. The Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) results denote that the VIF values for all dimensions are below the critical threshold of 10, suggesting no severe multicollinearity issues in the model, thereby promoting the reliability of the regression analysis results. Based on the comprehensive multiple regression analysis, it can be concluded that VR technology has marked positive effects on mental health interventions, facilitating adolescents’ development across multiple psychological dimensions.

Analysis of comprehensive score results

The comprehensive scores of experimental and control groups in each dimension are further compared, as suggested in Fig. 9.

The experimental group outperformed the control group in all five dimensions, demonstrating the significant advantages of VR technology in enhancing adolescent mental health, cognitive abilities, and social skills.

In the five dimensions of cognitive ability, emotional attitude, social behavior, adaptability, and social interaction, Fig. 9 displays that the experimental group is superior to the control group in all mental health indicators, displaying a higher score, highlighting the remarkable advantages of VR technology in adolescent mental health management. These findings reveal that VR technology can improve teenagers’ psychological abilities, such as attention and creativity. Meanwhile, their social skills and abilities are enhanced to cope with stress. Through this immersive experience, teenagers can learn and develop necessary life skills in a safe environment, which has a positive impact on their mental health and overall well-being.

In summary, the application effect of VR technology in adolescent mental health management in the new media communication environment is explored. Through comparative analysis of experimental and control groups in five dimensions: cognitive ability, emotional attitude, social behavior, adaptability, and social interaction, VR technology is found to have a remarkable positive impact on adolescents in these areas. Considering cognitive ability, adolescents in the experimental group show marked improvements in detail observation skills, attention, and problem-solving abilities. It indicates that the immersive experience provided by VR technology effectively promotes adolescents’ desire for exploration. Regarding emotional attitude, adolescents in the experimental group demonstrate enhanced concentration, sense of humor, optimism, and resilience, highlighting the latent strengths of VR technology in emotional regulation. In terms of social behavior, adolescents exhibit significant enhancements in empathy, altruism, and prosocial behavior in the experimental group, emphasizing the role of VR technology in promoting social behavior. Additionally, the experimental group has strong adaptability and social interaction capabilities. When faced with new environments and challenges, adolescents in the experimental group demonstrate remarkably better adaptability than the control group. In social interaction, the experimental group exhibits stronger interpersonal relationship management skills, team role-playing abilities, stress management, and independent problem-solving skills. To sum up, these results highlight the significant advantages of VR technology in adolescent mental health management. It demonstrates that VR can enhance adolescents’ personal psychological qualities and strengthen their social skills and ability to cope with stress. This outcome may be attributed to the highly immersive experiences provided by VR, allowing adolescents to simulate real-life scenarios in a safe and controlled environment. Thus, their cognitive abilities and emotional regulation are enhanced. Moreover, the interactive nature and personalized design of VR likely effectively stimulate adolescents’ engagement motivation, thereby promoting the development of their social behavior and adaptability. However, it is critical to note that these findings may be limited by the convenience sampling method used in this study. Future research should validate these findings on a broader scale.

Interview results

Ten experts with rich experience in the adolescent mental health field are invited, and their views expressed after the interview are shown in Table 4. It aims to deeply understand the application and effect of VR technology in psychological intervention.

In Table 4, through semi-structured interviews, experts generally agree that VR technology provides a safe and controlled environment that helps adolescents explore and learn coping strategies without realistic risks. They point out that the high level of immersion and real-time feedback mechanism of VR technology can encourage teenagers to learn emotional regulation and social skills more quickly. In addition, experts highlight the role of VR technology in simulating real social situations, which aids teenagers in handling interpersonal and social challenges more confidently in real life.

The experts also discuss the application of VR technology in personalized treatment plans, arguing that this technology can tailor virtual environments to each teen’s specific needs and preferences to provide more personalized experiences and services. This personalized approach can not only improve the targeted treatment but also enhance the participation of teenagers and the fun of treatment. Although cost and accessibility remain factors to consider when implementing VR technology, experts are generally optimistic about the potential of this technology in managing adolescent mental health.

Discussion

By comparing the questionnaire data of experimental and control groups, this study depicts that VR technology has exhibited marked positive effects in managing adolescent mental health. In terms of cognitive ability, the participants in the experimental group present a stronger desire to explore and a higher problem-solving ability, indicating that VR technology could effectively stimulate teenagers’ curiosity and cognitive development. The results of emotional attitude analysis show that the teenagers in the experimental group are more prominent in positive psychological characteristics such as concentration, humor, optimism, and resilience, helping them to establish a healthier psychological state. This is in agreement with the research results of Holt (2023) and Li Pira et al. (2023). Additionally, the social behavior dimension data reveals the improvement of empathy, altruism, and helping others in the experimental group, thus reflecting the potential of VR technology in cultivating teenagers’ sense of social responsibility.

The analysis of social interaction and adaptability further confirms the positive influence of VR technology. The experimental group remarkably exceeds the control group in interpersonal relationships, group role-playing, stress management, and independent problem-solving, demonstrating that VR technology can improve teenagers’ social skills and enhance their adaptability to life challenges. Based on the scores of all dimensions, the experimental group exhibits a higher level in all aspects of mental health, highlighting the important role of VR technology in promoting the development of adolescent mental health. This is consistent with the view of Riches et al. (2023). Through this immersive experience, teenagers can learn the necessary life skills in an educational and safe environment, which has a far-reaching positive impact on their overall well-being.

The positive effect of VR technology on adolescent mental health management can be analyzed from many angles. Firstly, VR technology enables teenagers to investigate and learn without real risks by creating an immersive environment. The security of this environment reduces the psychological barriers to trying new things, which may enhance their curiosity and desire to explore, as observed in the dimension of cognitive ability. Meanwhile, the instant feedback mechanism in VR may help teenagers learn emotional regulation and social skills faster, which is reflected in the positive results of emotional attitude and social behavior dimensions. Additionally, the diversified situation simulation provided by VR technology may promote teenagers’ ability in adaptability and social interaction, enabling them to better cope with real-life challenges and social occasions.

Secondly, another reason why the application of VR technology may have a positive impact on teenagers’ mental health lies in its interactivity and sense of reality. In the VR environment, teenagers not only experience scenes and interactions close to the real world but also practice and exercise their social skills in simulated social situations. This kind of simulation practice may help them handle interpersonal relationships and social challenges more confidently in real life, as observed in the dimension of social interaction. Concurrently, VR technology may enhance teenagers’ empathy and altruism by providing opportunities for role-playing and teamwork, which are reflected in the analysis of social behavior dimensions. Consequently, VR technology can effectively improve the mental health of teenagers, possibly because it integrates immersive experience, real-time feedback, and simulation practice, providing a comprehensive and interactive learning platform for teenagers.

This study strives to evaluate the application effectiveness of VR technology in adolescent mental health management within the context of new media communication. Through comparative research between the experimental and control groups, it reveals that VR technology exhibits prominent advantages in enhancing adolescent mental health management capabilities. These findings are further supported by existing literature and research outcomes. First, Al-Ansi et al. (2023b) noted in their study that AR and VR technologies revolutionized educational approaches through immersive digital experiences, interactive environments, and simulations. Although these technologies were still in the development stage and required significant investment and mass customization to meet the high demand in the education sector, their potential was already apparent. Additionally, VR technology demonstrates its latent benefits in adolescent mental health management. By creating simulated virtual environments, VR technology can provide adolescents with a safe place to experience and treat and aid them in gradually facing and overcoming psychological barriers without increasing the risk of reality. This is in agreement with Al-Ansi et al. (2023b)’s findings that VR technology can enhance learning and psychological interventions through immersion and interactivity. Second, another study by Al-Ansi et al. (2023a) explored the influence of social media influencers (SMIs) on adolescent behavior in Middle Eastern countries. They discovered that SMIs positively and markedly impacted adolescents regarding intelligence, while their social, ethical, and health effects varied. This denoted that adolescents’ behavior and psychological state were greatly influenced by the new media environment. This study found that by leveraging VR technology for mental health management interventions, the experimental group’s performance in social interaction, cognitive ability, social behavior, emotional attitude, and adaptability is markedly better than that of the control group. This suggests that new media technology, especially VR technology, can facilitate adolescents to improve their psychological state and social skills through effective interactive and immersive experiences. By combining the above two studies, the rationality and importance of the research results can be better understood. Al-Ansi et al. (2023b) proposed that the application of AR and VR technologies in education and psychological interventions was growing, highlighting their significant developmental potential. This provides theoretical support for the study, illustrating that the application of VR technology in adolescent mental health management is feasible and highly effective. Additionally, studies on the influence of SMIs on adolescent behavior suggest that the new media environment significantly impacts adolescent psychology and behavior, further supporting the conclusion of this study regarding the effectiveness of VR technology in a new media communication environment. In conclusion, the research findings illustrate that VR technology offers notable advantages in adolescent mental health management, effectively enhancing cognitive ability, emotional attitude, social behavior, adaptability, and social interaction among adolescents. These findings not only align with existing literature but also underscore the potential and application prospects of VR technology in new media communication environments.

This study not only proves the potential of VR technology in improving the mental health of teenagers but also provides a new perspective and method for mental health intervention. Through empirical research, it is found that VR technology can effectively promote the development of teenagers in cognitive ability, emotional attitude, social behavior, adaptability, and social interaction. These findings have vital implications for educators, mental health professionals, and policymakers. Firstly, educators can use VR technology as a teaching tool to improve students’ participation and learning effect by creating an immersive learning environment. Moreover, mental health professionals can consider incorporating VR technology into the treatment plan to help teenagers better understand and manage their emotions and improve their social skills and adaptability. Meanwhile, policymakers can support and promote the application of VR technology in the fields of education and mental health according to these research results to promote the overall development of teenagers.

In addition, this study also emphasizes the advantages of VR technology in providing a safe and controllable environment, which is particularly important for the intervention of adolescents’ mental health. In this environment, teenagers can try diverse social interactions and behavior patterns without worrying about the risks and pressures they may encounter in real life. This method provides an ideal platform for teenagers to get positive feedback and support when they explore themselves, develop interpersonal relationships, and solve problems. In a word, this study not only shows VR technology’s effectiveness in adolescent mental health management but also offers valuable insights and directions for future mental health intervention and educational practice.