@Article{info:doi/10.2196/59083,
author="Huang, Kuo-Ting
and Ma, Zexin
and Yao, Lan",
title="Media-Induced and Psychological Factors That Foster Empathy Through Virtual Reality in Nursing Education: 2{\texttimes}2 Between-Subjects Experimental Study",
journal="JMIR Med Educ",
year="2025",
month="Mar",
day="31",
volume="11",
pages="e59083",
keywords="nursing education; narrative transportation; presence; virtual reality; game-based learning; affective empathy",
abstract="Background: Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool in medical education, particularly for fostering critical skills such as empathy. However, how VR, combined with perspective-taking, influences affective empathy in nursing education remains underexplored. Objective: This study investigates the influence of VR and perspective-taking on affective empathy in nursing education, focusing on 4 psychological factors: perceived self-location, narrative transportation, emotional engagement, and affective empathy. Methods: A 2{\texttimes}2 between-subjects design was used, involving 69 nursing undergraduates from two Midwest universities. The participants engaged with a narrative-focused video game, That Dragon, Cancer, in either VR or non-VR conditions and from the perspective of either parents or clinicians. Results: VR significantly enhanced perceived self-location (P=.01), while adopting a clinician's perspective amplified emotional engagement (P=.03). However, VR did not significantly influence narrative transportation (P=.35). An interaction effect was found between the platform and player's perspective on narrative transportation (P=.04). Several indirect effects of media elements on affective empathy were observed via other psychological factors, though the direct effect of VR on affective empathy was not significant (P=.84). Conclusions: These findings underscore the potential of VR in medical education, suggesting that perspective-taking should be carefully considered when designing immersive learning experiences. The study advocates for broader integration of VR technologies into medical curricula to enhance instruction quality and patient-centered care. ",
issn="2369-3762",
doi="10.2196/59083",
url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2025/1/e59083",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/59083"
}