THE LOOK OF LIFE

The Look of Life will assess the feasibility and the efficacy of immersive stimuli in virtual reality environment for the reduction of anxiety and depressive symptoms and for the promotion of emotional wellbeing. Subjects of the study are oncological patients in home care setting, who will be exposed to ad-hoc multimedial immersive videos through a mobile virtual reality headset.
The diagnosis of cancer and its treatment have a strong impact on every aspects of patients' lives. There are often many difficulties in family roles, in the ability to work and participate in common social activities. Even during a successful treatment, cancer may result in long-term physical and psychological problems, negatively influencing patients's quality of life, adherence to treatment and prognosis.
Advanced cancer patients in home care setting can live in a situation of social isolation and/or reduced sensorial stimulation, in which they sometimes become exclusively focused on their illness and develop psychopathological symptoms such as excessive anxiety, depressive thoughts and behaviors and bodily pain and fatigue.
In this particular life context, the experience of an immersive environment could break the usual patterns of anxious and depressive emotional states providing, for these particular kind of patients, some new captivating emotional stimulations that could be effective in reducing negative mood states, pain and promoting psychological wellbeing, positive mood changes and a better quality of life.

The Look of Life will be involved in:
- Assessing the feasibility of a mobile virtual reality headset and immersive video stimulation for cancer patients in a home care setting.
- Evauating the efficacy of the immersive stimuli for the reduction of pain, distress, anxiety and depressive symptoms and for promotion of psychological wellbeing and positive mood states.
- Collecting patients' attitudes, opinions and point of view toward a new technology and immersive multisensorial stimulations.

Project Coordinator: Prof. Luciano Gamberini
Partners: University of Padua, ANT Italia Onlus
Working team: Diletta Mora (HIT Centre) and Daniele Roganti (ANT)