Alleviating Loneliness in Migrant Communities with VR

Loneliness is a subjective condition arising from unmet social relationship expectations. For migrants, loneliness often stems from missing familiar cultural elements, family and identity, leading to a lack of connection in their new environment and inhibiting meaningful relationships. This absence of cultural connectedness hinders the formation of meaningful relationships, causing voluntary social disconnection and intensifying feelings of loneliness. Current interventions lack cultural sensitivity, and existing digital solutions require community connection upfront, which may not suit lonely migrants. This study explores how culturally sensitive, immersive VR interventions can help foster presence and mitigate loneliness for migrant adults.

iBelongVR

Research Team

Collaborators

Survey and Interview Study

Participants:

• Migrant adults who are feeling lonely or missing their culture
• Professionals working in migrant support services

Aim:

• Understand experiences of migrant loneliness
• Investigate the role of culture to help with loneliness
• Explore existing nondigital and digital interventions for loneliness, identify benefits and limitations
• Gather feedback and suggestions on the proposed VR intervention to inform its development

Collected data:

• 70 survey responses
• 20 interviews
• One-on-one interviews to understand personal stories, challenges and coping mechanisms related to migration
• Focus Group discussions related to specific ethnicities to explore collective experiences and cultural disconnection in depth

Some Findings:

• Many migrants emphasized the loss of traditional festivals, as a major gap in their new lives. Regardless of ethnicity, most participants expressed missing their traditional New Year festival celebrated in their home country. The lack of familiar colors, sounds, and atmospheres contributed to a sense of detachment.
• Some migrants internalize loneliness as a personal failure. Not accepting the change of life and culture and not knowing how to get out of the cycle has pushed them to feel more lonely.
• Participants highlighted that cultural engagement was beneficial, however many found it inadequate or difficult to sustain due to several challenges (e.g. Attending own cultural events with unfamiliar people did not always provide the expected sense of connection).
• Participants expressed a strong desire to experience own cultural events and familiar environments through digital systems.

Publications

Engagement