Social VR for Socially Isolated Adolescents with Significant Illnesses

Abstract

Adolescents with significant illnesses face various psychosocial and mental wellbeing challenges during hospitalisation. Social isolation from family and peers is identified as a significant concern for this group. Several digital interventions have been proposed to connect these young people with others, such as video conferencing, social media, social robots, and online games. Research so far has found those to be beneficial for adolescents' wellbeing. Social VR is a relatively novel social interaction mechanism that allows users to interact socially within an immersive 3D virtual environment with embodiment experience. Game-play is generally identified as a motivational factor in user engagement. Therefore, applying gamification into social VR space would encourage and motivate socially isolated adolescents to engage socially. The main goal of this research project is to enhance the social engagement of socially isolated adolescents by fostering positive interactions with their peers. We expect to discover if engaging with the intervention will decrease problems associated with social isolation.