Project VISIBLE: Virtual Interaction Supporting Identity, Belonging, Liberation, and Empowerment
Despite making up a far smaller percentage of the adolescent population, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth report higher rates of social rejection, harassment, and violence as compared to their cisgender peers.
As an expansion of our adolescent and young adult oncology support groups, XRPeds has begun exploring this intervention in the TGD population. Using an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model and lead by a trained clinical psychologist from Yale’s Pediatric Gender Program, this trial will examine feasibility and acceptability, and incorporate unique measures such as Gender Dysphoria and Gender Minority Stress and Resilience.
As TGD youth may experience dysphoria from seeing themselves on camera, participants will be invited to design their own VR avatars to allow them to present to the group in a form that is consistent with their gender identity. This is a unique function of XR technologies that we feel will be a valuable tool for this population.