6. The path of improving college students' stress management ability through ai virtual reality training in digital physical education

Abstract Background The current deep integration of digital technology and physical education is driving the iteration of traditional physical education teaching models, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) virtual reality technology is gradually being applied to educational scenarios due to its immersive experience advantages. College students face multiple pressures such as academic, employment, and social situations, and stress management ability has become a key indicator of their physical and mental health development. However, traditional sports intervention methods have limitations such as single scenarios and insufficient personalization, making it difficult to accurately match students' stress management needs. Existing research mostly explores the application of AI virtual reality technology in sports skill training, with little systematic integration of AI virtual reality technology with physical education. To fill this research gap, the study relies on AI virtual reality technology to construct immersive sports training scenarios, designs training programs based on stress management theory, and verifies their effectiveness in improving college students' stress management abilities through experiments, providing theoretical and practical support for empowering mental health in digital sports education. Methods 200 college students from a certain university were selected as the research subjects, and a controlled experimental design was adopted. They were divided into an experimental group (100 people) and a control group (100 people), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to screen for samples with matched stress levels. The experimental group adopts AI virtual reality technology for sports training system, and designs three immersive scenarios based on common stress sources among college students, including forest jogging, team climbing, and mindfulness yoga. The AI module monitors real-time data such as heart rate and movement amplitude, and dynamically adjusts the difficulty of the scenarios; The control group received traditional outdoor sports training three times a week for 40 minutes each time, lasting for 8 weeks. The experiment first collected two sets of baseline data through questionnaire surveys and heart rate monitoring; Subsequently, an 8-week training intervention was implemented in groups, with intermediate data recorded every 2 weeks; After the intervention, final test data were collected using scales, physiological indicators, and semi-structured interviews. SPSS 26.0 was used for data statistical analysis. Results After intervention, the PSS score of the experimental group (M = 15.23, SD = 3.12) was significantly lower than that of the control group (M = 21.56, SD = 3.89), and the difference was statistically significant (p<.01); The heart rate variability index in the experimental group increased by 32.6%, which was higher than the 11.3% in the control group. Interview data shows that 89% of the experimental group students believe that immersive experiences enhance training compliance, and 76% indicate that they have mastered three or more transferable stress management techniques. Discussion The research findings indicate that sports training based on AI virtual reality technology can enhance college students' stress management abilities through immersive experiences, personalized adjustments, and social interactions. Future research can deepen the study of neural mechanisms by combining indicators such as EEG signals, and explore long-term intervention models for the integration of AI virtual reality technology and metaverse technology.