From Stable to Screen: How Setting Shapes Student Stress Responses to Campus-Based Virtual Equine-Assisted Intervention

As student mental health concerns intensify, campuses are exploring wellness initiatives including equine-assisted intervention (EAI). Because maintaining equines on campus is not always feasible, virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an alternative method for delivering equine experiences. Although equine environments alone may reduce stress, limited research has examined how environmental setting influences outcomes during VR EAI. Therefore, the objective of this exploratory study was to compare stress levels, as observed through heart rate and cortisol concentrations, for students participating in VR EAI within equine and classroom settings. Students participated in one of the following on-campus VR EAI programs: (1) classroom (n = 10) or (2) equine (n = 14) environment. Although both environmental types demonstrated a significant difference between minimum-maximum heart rate during the session (p < 0.05), only the classroom led to a significant reduction in heart rate post-session (p = 0.02). Neither environmental type observed a significant difference between pre-post cortisol concentrations (p > 0.05). Environmental type was an influencing factor for cortisol concentrations (p = 0.04). These findings suggest that environmental context may influence physiological responses during VR EAI; however, further research is warranted that includes larger samples, more controlled designs, and integrated subjective and physiological measures.