Age Differences in Flow Experience During Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Tasks: A Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

• DOI: 10.2196/preprints.76278
• Publication Date: 2025-04-22T12:45:07Z
• Authors: Shiyi Tong; Lixuan Li; Yuankun Zhang; Fang Pu; Weiyan Ren

BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly applied in rehabilitation training. Flow experience, a critical factor for enhancing user engagement and training efficacy, exhibits age-related differences that are essential for designing elderly-friendly rehabilitation tasks. However, current VR rehabilitation systems often overlook age-related subjective experience disparities, leading to insufficient engagement among older adults.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore differences in flow experience between younger and older adults during identical VR rehabilitation tasks and provide empirical evidence for designing personalized elderly rehabilitation programs.

METHODS We recruited 21 older adults (mean age: 63.00 ± 6.64 years, 10 males) and 19 younger adults (mean age: 24.68 ± 1.16 years, 9 males). Participants performed the "Space Pop" task in Kinect Adventures (simulating limb coordination training) using VR. Flow experience was measured using the Chinese version of the Flow State Scale-2 (CFSS-2). Group differences were analyzed via Wilcoxon rank-sum tests.

RESULTS Older adults exhibited significantly lower overall flow experience than younger adults (p < 0.001, d = 1.45), with significant differences in the dimensions of "challenge-skill balance" (p < 0.001), "clear goals" (p = 0.044), "sense of control" (p < 0.001), and "loss of self-consciousness" (p = 0.048). Other dimensions (e.g., concentration, time transformation) showed no statistical differences.

CONCLUSIONS Age significantly impacts flow experience in VR rehabilitation tasks. Tailoring designs through dynamic difficulty adjustment, intuitive goal cues, and reduced motor demands can enhance older adults’ control, immersion, and active participation, thereby improving health outcomes.