Romina is a nurse and a Master's student in public health at Laval University. She also has a bachelor's degree in psychology. Through her research, she would like to contribute to the conceptualization of patient and citizen engagement with digital health technologies. She is also interested in the effects of digital technologies and their benefits on the physical and mental health of the population, especially those in vulnerable situations.
Supporting the mental health of service sector workers: Exploring an innovative approach based on regular exposure to an immersive art environment
Funded in collaboration with Mitacs as part of our fall 2022 scholarships, Romina Barony, a student at Université Laval, is supervised by Simon Coulombe, associate professor at Université Laval, and holder of the Relief Research Chair in Mental Health, Self-Management and Work.
Focusing on the unexplored potential of public art and art installations offered by new technologies (multimedia, virtual reality, etc.) to promote mental health, this project aims to: 1) conduct a review of the scientific literature on the effects of immersive art experiences on workers' mental health; 2) examine the short- and medium-term impacts associated with regular immersion in a multimedia art environment on indicators of well-being and mental health among service sector workers. The research is being conducted in conjunction with the non-profit organization La Piscine, which works to support art and culture for the advancement of society, and which has initiated work to understand the impact of cultural experiences on mental health in the workplace.