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Queering E-Therapy: Considerations for the Delivery of Virtual Reality Based Mental Health Solutions with LGBTQ2IA+ Communities

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Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare (PH 2021)

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a rapidly advancing technology with substantial attention from scientific disciplines including Psychology and Human-Computer Interaction. It has become an attractive tool that can offer healthcare support. Marginalized groups like lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, two-spirit, intersex, and asexual/aromatic (LGBTQ2IA+) adults are at increased risk of poor mental health outcomes. The design of digital mental health tools, including VR, often overlook queer adults. In this study, we investigate the experience and the potential of digital mental health services for queer adults and mental health practitioners (MHP) that may inform future designs and implementation. We deployed an online survey and collected responses from 12 queer participants and 7 MHP. We found five themes that address general digital mental health for queer adults and MHP: (1) simple delivery, (2) flexible use, (3) seamless interactivity, (4) personalization, and (5) support. In addition, we noted six themes for VR-specific design considerations: (1) low cost (2) research, training, and education, (3) usability, (4) safety and privacy, (5) immersion, and (6) provider control and customization. Our findings highlight a series of actionable design considerations for digital mental health tools, and emphasize the importance of factors such as usability and accessibility when designing digital mental health tools for the queer community.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all of our participants for their time, expertise, and insights.

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  1. Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada

    Adrian Bolesnikov, Aryan Golshan, Lauren Tierney, Ashi Mann, Jin Kang & Audrey Girouard

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  1. Adrian Bolesnikov
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Correspondence to Adrian Bolesnikov .

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  1. Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel

    Hadas Lewy

  2. Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel

    Refael Barkan

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Bolesnikov, A., Golshan, A., Tierney, L., Mann, A., Kang, J., Girouard, A. (2022). Queering E-Therapy: Considerations for the Delivery of Virtual Reality Based Mental Health Solutions with LGBTQ2IA+ Communities. In: Lewy, H., Barkan, R. (eds) Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare. PH 2021. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 431. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99194-4_13

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