Randomised controlled trial of VR-based observation meditation with AI coaching ('Otti') for stress reduction in university students in the United States: study protocol.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Stress is a major health issue in contemporary society, and mindfulness-based approaches reduce stress and anxiety but face practical barriers to consistent practice; this protocol evaluates a Virtual Reality (VR)-based observation meditation programme with an artificial intelligence (AI) coach ('Otti') that delivers real-time empathic, tailored prompts to support present-focused attention and emotion regulation in university students in the United States. A single-centre randomised controlled trial in Pennsylvania will assess immediate psychophysiological effects and user acceptability after a single 15 min session following a standardised Stroop stressor in a university laboratory setting.

Methods and analysis

An a priori power analysis (f=0.25, α=0.05, power=

SUBMITTER: Hong J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12551479 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature