Greater usage and positive mood change for users of a dynamic VR app before and after the COVID-19 pandemic onset

Abstract

Americans reported an increase in stress during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Virtual reality (VR) apps have been shown to distract users from stressors in the environment, but little is known about the efficacy of specific content features to reduce stress or improve mood for consumer users during a pandemic. The present study investigated secondary archival data to explore how mood and usage behavior changed before and after the onset of COVID-19 for consumer users of a VR app with dynamic, interactive content. Study findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic had significant effects on user behavior and mood. Users created more accounts and used app content more often during the pandemic, while reporting increased negative mood states. This suggests that users were motivated to use the content to cope with pandemic stressors. Users also experienced a greater positive mood change after using the content during the pandemic than before, which implies that elements related to the VR app content met users’ psychological needs. Passive content with less interactivity resulted in a greater positive mood state after the COVID-19 onset, likely related to its capacity to reduce stress, facilitate restoration, and improve persistent affective states in stressful environments. This study offers a vital window into how consumer users respond to psychosocial pandemic stressors outside of a controlled environment as well as the prospective for VR app content to serve as a valuable mental health intervention during similar stressful events.