How does participation in a virtual world community help people cope with long term health conditions?

By Evelyn McElhinney Ph.D.

Evelyn McElhinney Ph.D.

Evelyn McElhinney Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University (Scotland). Her research interests lie in the area of emerging and immersive technologies for health and wellbeing. Her Ph.D. was conducted fully within Second Life and consisted of two studies – one investigating the health literacy skills and practices of people in the social virtual world and the influence on physical world behaviour, and the other investigated the importance of people and place to living and coping with long term conditions in the physical world. She has also taught nurse practitioners within Second Life.

How does participation in a virtual world community help people cope with long term health conditions?

This was the topic of Evelyn McElhinney’s Ph.D. research, conducted in Second Life. Now a Senior Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University (Scotland), Dr. McElhinney conducted case studies, social network analyses and focus groups to determine the impact of virtual experiences on physical world behaviors. She also studied health literacy skills and practices within the social virtual world.

Dr. Evelyn McElhinney will present “The importance of positive health assets from participation in 3D social virtual world communities to living and coping with long term conditions in the physical world” at this year’s Mental Health Symposium. Her session will be held from 8:30-9:30am Pacific time on Friday, April 26.

For more information about the Mental Health Symposium and the full schedule of sessions:

https://virtualability.org/mental-health-symposia/mental-health-symposium-2019/