Positive Youth Development in the Metaverse

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This pilot study aims to leverage VR's capacity to easily replicate content and allow for multiple users to share the same space and engage in activities as if they're meeting in person. Integrating VR into afterschool programs will allow youth to receive more consistent programming content, even when they are unable to travel to the physical location for the in-person meetings.

Detailed Description
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This pilot study aims to leverage VR's capacity to easily replicate content and allow for multiple users to share the same space and engage in activities as if they're meeting in person. Integrating VR into afterschool programs will allow youth to receive more consistent programming content, even when they are unable to travel to the physical location for the in-person meetings. It will also empower youth to engage with the afterschool program at their own pace by providing a safe space to learn and practice their socioemotional skills. Implemented at scale, these benefits of a VR-integrated afterschool program will be able to address the issues of health inequity head on by expanding access to high quality afterschool content without incurring high operating costs. The results from this pilot study will provide a critical foundation to apply for an extramurally funded clinical trial to demonstrate the efficacy of a VR-integrated afterschool program on youth mental wellbeing. Aim 1: Determine feasibility of a VR-integrated afterschool program where youth can access the VR content on their own at home. Aim 2: Test the hypothesis that complementing the in-person afterschool program with VR will increase a) engagement and b) socioemotional competencies in youth. Aim 3: Test the hypothesis that youth will demonstrate better mental wellbeing when the in-person afterschool program is complemented with VR.

Official Title
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Positive Youth Development in the Metaverse - Development of a Virtual Reality Afterschool Program for Middle Childhood Youth

Conditions
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Healthy, Healthy Lifestyle, Childhood ALL, Behavior, Child

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Virtual reality curriculum
* Behavioral: No Virtual reality curriculum


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Children enrolled in the Chess & Community program Between the ages of 9-17 The parent/primary caregiver of these children Exclusion Criteria: Children who are unable to wear a VR headset will not be recruited

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 9 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Treatment<br>In the treatment group, the child will receive the VR-based curriculum in addition to receiving the devices to use for 8 weeks. | Behavioral: Virtual reality curriculum<br>* Rather than rely on mere exposure to devices, participants in the treatment group will receive a curriculum that integrates the devices into traditional content delivered through the after school program.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Control<br>In the control group, the child will still receive the devices to use for 8 weeks, but will not have the VR-based curriculum. | Behavioral: No Virtual reality curriculum<br>* Children will be able to use the same devices but will not have access to a curriculum that integrates the devices with traditional content delivered through the after school program.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Self-regulation | Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised ( 1-Almost always untrue, 2-Usually untrue, 3-Sometimes true, sometimes untrue, 4-Usually true, 5-Almost always true) | One-time assessment post-treatment (at 8 weeks) | 
| Mental well-being | Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Not true = 0, Somewhat true = 1, Certainly true = 2) | One-time assessment post-treatment (at 8 weeks) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engagement | Number of hours of programming delivered for both in-person and VR | 8 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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afterschool program, virtual reality, positive youth development