VR Safety Training and Mental Health: Enhancing Psychological Adaptation and Emotional Regulation in Vocational Railway Engineering Education
Fei Peng, Mingxun Shi, Lan Yan, Jianqiang WangAbstract
Objective
This study investigates the psychological effects of Virtual Reality (VR) technology in training vocational undergraduate railway engineering students, with a specific focus on its role in enhancing psychological adaptation, emotional regulation, and mental health during simulated safety emergencies. The research aims to determine how immersive VR training impacts stress resilience, situational awareness, and overall psychological preparedness for high-stress operational scenarios.
Subjects and Methods
A controlled experimental study was conducted with 80 railway engineering students, randomly assigned to a VR training group (completing immersive safety emergency modules) and a traditional lecture-based control group. Psychological and physiological data were collected using pre- and post-test questionnaires measuring state anxiety, emotional regulation capacity, and self-efficacy, combined with heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring during simulations to assess stress responses.
Results
Students in the VR training group demonstrated a 40% greater improvement in emotional regulation scores (p < 0.01) and a 35% higher increase in self-efficacy for handling emergencies (p < 0.01) compared to the control group. Physiological data indicated a 25% faster reduction in stress biomarkers during repeated VR exposures. Participants reported that the immersive, controlled VR environment effectively reduced anxiety and built composure, directly supporting their mental readiness and well-being.
Conclusions
VR technology significantly enhances psychological adaptation and emotional regulation, thereby fostering mental resilience and health. This form of immersive training builds not only technical competence but also crucial psychological resources, contributing to both professional readiness and sustainable mental well-being in safety-critical professions.
Acknowledgement
this work was supported by The 14th Five-Year Plan for Educational Science Research in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region “Research on the Construction of an Immersive Intelligent Interactive Environment for High-Speed Railway Professional Virtual Teaching Empowered by AI” Project Type: General Project (Project Number: NZJGH2025140).
Corresponding Author
Mingxun Shi, Railway department, Hohhot Polytechnic University, Hohhot 010051, Inner Mongolia, China.