The DOI matches its Crossref record; 7 of the 7 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Feasibility and Acceptability Study of Virtual Reality Support Groups for Transgender and Gender Expansive Youth
Abstract
Transgender and gender expansive (TGE) youth are facing unprecedented levels of social and structural stigmatization and discrimination. Antitransgender legislation almost exclusively focuses on limiting affirming supports for TGE youth by utilizing stigmatizing rhetoric surrounding transgender identities based on myths and disinformation. In the face of increasing societal oppression, TGE individuals report higher rates of experienced discrimination, violence, and social rejection. Interventions that promote individual and community resilience are vital to supporting the wellbeing of TGE youth. Virtual support groups and therapies for TGE youth may be essential as in-person access to affirming spaces continues to be limited. In this article, we present feasibility and acceptability data of a social virtual reality (VR) tool to support TGE youth for whom in-person supports may not exist and for whom video-based telehealth platforms may trigger dysphoria. Using a mixed-methods approach, we collected data from 10 TGE youth participants on the feasibility and acceptability of an eight-week, VR social support group, prior to transitioning to a peer-to-peer model based on overwhelming participant feedback. We posit that gender affirming VR support groups and therapies may help increase critical resilience factors for TGE youth that are being restricted from gender affirming supports and call for further research to investigate the usefulness of VR and other immersive platforms to support gender affirmation and community connection.
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“Participants reported that the VR support group was both feasible and acceptable, and feedback was so positive that the format transitioned to a peer-to-peer model based on participant request.”
From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Meade et al. (2025)
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In the citing paper
“Studies adopting an explicitly affirmative framing measure a partly non-overlapping set of constructs: gender joy and the positive experience of gender affirmation (Meade et al., 2025); perceived safety, self-confidence, and avatar-based selfexpression (Hasei et al., 2025); confidence and efficacy in advocacy (Pillis et al., 2024).”
From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Meade et al., 2025
In the citing paper
“AI chatbots provide immediate, accessible, and anonymous support available around the clock, while VR environments enable embodied identity experimentation, avatarbased self-expression, and immersive community experiences that may be transformative for youth whose offline worlds offer limited affirmation (Bragazzi et al., 2023;Meade et al., 2025).”
From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Meade et al., 2025
In the citing paper
“while VR environments enable embodied identity experimentation, avatarbased self-expression, and immersive community experiences that may be transformative for youth whose offline worlds offer limited affirmation (Bragazzi et al., 2023;Meade et al., 2025).”
From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Meade et al., 2025
In the citing paper
“The authors framed their findings in terms of gender joy, the positive emotional experience of gender affirmation, and proposed that VR support groups may offer a route to cultivating community connection for a population facing rising societal and legislative hostility.”
From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Meade et al. (2025)
In the citing paper
“The ability to present oneself in a VR environment with a body, name, pronouns, and appearance that align with one's gender identity or sexual self-concept can be deeply affirming, particularly for transgender and gender diverse youth for whom everyday offline embodiment may be a source of significant distress (Meade et al., 2025;Hasei et al., 2025).”
From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Meade et al., 2025
In the citing paper
“The embodied, immersive quality of VR creates possibilities for identity exploration and community connection that are qualitatively different from textbased or video-based interaction (Meade et al., 2025;Li et al., 2023).”
From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Meade et al., 2025
In the citing paper
“As a single-arm pilot with ten participants, the study establishes feasibility rather than effect.”
From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Meade et al. (2025)
In the citing paper
“VR and metaverse environments support avatar-based identity exploration and embodied community connection, with early evidence of feasibility for transgender and gender expansive youth.”
From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Meade et al., 2025
In the citing paper
“VR and metaverse environments support avatar-based identity exploration and embodied community connection, with early evidence of feasibility for transgender and gender expansive youth.”
From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Meade et al., 2025
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Citations
Cites
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review
Shekarchi, R., Eleuteri, S., Saladino, V., Calaresi, D., Giordano, F., & Prunas, A. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.2002054
Metadata
- Authors
- Meade, N., Ralston, A., Weser, V., Hieftje, K., Olezeski, C., & Marks, A.
- Affiliations
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
- Venue
- Journal of Medical Extended Reality
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2025-01
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 2994-1520
- PMC
- PMC13387238
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 7
- Language
- en
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