Virtual Reality Therapies in Mental Health among University Students in Lagos

Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool in mental health interventions, particularly for treating anxiety and depression among university students. Participants were recruited from three universities in Lagos. A mixed-methods approach was employed, with self-reported questionnaires used for quantitative data collection. Qualitative interviews supplemented the findings by providing deeper insights into participants' experiences and perceptions of VR therapy. VR therapy resulted in a statistically significant reduction (p < 0.05) in stress levels among university students compared to baseline measurements, indicating its potential as an effective mental health intervention tool. The findings suggest that VR therapies can be a valuable adjunct to traditional treatment methods for managing mental health issues among university students. Future research should explore the scalability and cost-effectiveness of VR therapy implementation in diverse educational settings. Clinical guidelines incorporating VR as part of mental health care plans are also recommended. Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.