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A Virtual Reality Couples' Intervention for Sexual Victimization Prevention: a Gender-swapping Transformative Approach
Sponsor: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of REVISE (REalidad Virtual Inmersiva y SExualidad), an immersive virtual reality (IVR) intervention designed to promote empathy and reduce sexual harassment behaviors in heterosexual cisgender men. The main questions that this study aims to answer are as follows. Does experiencing gender swapping in IVR increase empathy towards survivors of sexual harassment? Does the intervention modify attitudes toward gender roles and sexual harassment? Researchers will compare the three experimental groups to evaluate the effects of IVR: 1. Identity Exchange Group with Exposure to Sexual Harassment: Participants embodied their partner's identity in a VR harassment scenario. 2. Identity Exchange Group without Harassment Exposure: Participants embodied their partner's identity in a neutral VR scenario. 3. Third-person Observer Group: Participants observe a harassment scenario in VR from their own perspective. Participants will: 1. Attend one virtual reality session in a laboratory setting. 2. Undergo pre- and post-intervention assessments and a three-month follow-up. 3. Complete self-report questionnaires and physiological measures (eye tracking and pupillometry). 4. Participate in semi-structured interviews about their experiences. This study aims to explore how immersive VR embodiment can be used as a tool for gender violence prevention by fostering perspective-taking and behavioral change.
Official title: A Virtual Reality Couples' Intervention for Sexual Victimization Prevention: a Gender-swapping Transformative Approach (REVISE)
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 39 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
180
Start Date
2027-03-30
Completion Date
2027-03-30
Last Updated
2026-03-23
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
REVISE - Virtual Reality Gender-Swap with Harassment Exposure
Participants will embody a virtual avatar of their female partner in a sexual harassment scenario using full-body tracking, and identity exchange in virtual reality (VR). The goal is to assess whether experiencing harassment from a first-person perspective increases empathy and decreases tolerance toward sexual harassment.
REVISE - Virtual Reality Gender-Swap without Harassment
Participants will embody a virtual avatar of their female partner in a neutral social interaction scenario using VR-based identity exchange. This condition controls for the effect of perspective-taking alone, without exposure to harassment, to evaluate its impact on empathy and gender attitudes.