Author Identifier (ORCID)
Joshua Johnson: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0375-0224
Brennen Mills: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7409-7007
Luke Hopper: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5059-7760
Sara Hansen: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8622-6710
Abstract
Background: Nursing students experience substantial exposure to aggression and violence while attending clinical placement. De-escalation training can effectively prepare students for aggressive encounters, yet is resource-intensive to deliver. Immersive virtual reality (VR) may improve training accessibility for nursing students. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of a VR de-escalation training program to improve nursing students’ confidence in managing patient aggression and its perceived usability. Methods: This study utilized a single-group quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design. Undergraduate Australian nursing students (n = 221) completed a VR de-escalation training program, providing pre-/postintervention self-reported confidence in coping with patient aggression, system usability, and motion sickness data. Results: Significant improvements in confidence scores were observed from pre- to postintervention (p < 0.001, d = 0.70). Participants found the program easy-to-use and reported minimal motion sickness. The majority agreed VR is a suitable medium for de-escalation training (93%) and desired further VR de-escalation training (89%). Conclusions: Results show a single 20-minute VR training exposure significantly improved participant confidence in managing aggressive patients. VR may provide an opportunity to increase the accessibility of aggression management training for nursing students.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
Publication Title
Teaching and Learning in Nursing
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences / Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
RAS ID
88818
Funders
Department of Health, Government of Western Australia (G1004756)
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Johnson, J., Mills, B., Hopper, L., Hansen, S., Mumford, K., Joseph, R., Philip, S., Kruger, G., & Osman, A. D. (2026). The effectiveness of virtual reality aggression and violence de-escalation training for nursing and midwifery students: A quasi-experimental study. Teaching and Learning in Nursing. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2025.12.025