Co-Designing a Virtual Reality Intervention to Enhance Skill Development

This study is refining and pilot testing a novel Virtual Reality (VR) supplement for inpatient treatment: the Practice Experiences for School Reintegration (PrESR) program. The PrESR provides immersive school and social experiences for inpatient adolescents (with suicidal-related admissions) to practice skills in real-world settings with the guidance of a trained clinician within the confines of a hospital. The initial intervention was based on feedback from adolescent hospitalized for suicide-related crises, and school and hospital professionals, but did not provide tailored experiences to address the individual needs of ethnic-racial, gender, and sexual minoritized adolescents. Therefore, the VR environment of PrESR was adapted based on input from adolescents with previous suicide-related crises identifying as ethnic, racial, sex, or gender minoritized. This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and facilitators/barriers to implementation of the adapted version of PrESR for improving outcomes in hospitalized adolescents. This study is not powered to test hypotheses; however, in addition to assessing feasibility, acceptability, and barriers/facilitators, this pilot trial will assess candidate intermediary and outcome measures.

Inclusion Criteria: * Current hospitalization for suicidal thoughts and behaviors * Ages 13-18 * Clinician approval * Ability to speak, read, and understand English sufficiently to complete study procedures * Consent of a parent/legal guardian (in English or Spanish; for minor participants) * Adolescent assent or consent (in English) Exclusion Criteria: * Evidence of active psychosis * Evidence of intellectual disability * Risk for cybersickness (greater or equal to 50th percentile as measured on the Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire).