Adolescents’ perceptions of a Virtual-Reality based alcohol prevention tool – a focus group study on content, technical and gender aspects

Background: Excessive alcohol use is a major public health problem and Virtual reality (VR) offers new possibilities for alcohol prevention in adolescents. However, many aspects of this innovative approach remain unstudied, especially regarding user experience and options of tailoring by gender. This study investigated adolescents' perceptions of content, technical, and gender aspects in the simulation Virtual LimitLab – a virtual skills training for adolescents on how to deal with social pressure regarding alcohol consumption. Methods: Four focus groups were conducted after individual simulation testing with 13 adolescents aged 15-18 years. In addition, a user experience questionnaire (UEQ-S) and think-aloud technique were used to triangulate the qualitative findings. Discussion and statements were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Content and technical aspects were positively evaluated by the participants, which was confirmed by the UEQ-S data. In general, VR was seen as an innovative tool that enabled adolescents to become more engaged with the reflection of personal alcohol consumption and behaviour at parties. Especially the variety of choices to try out new behaviours were highlighted. Apart from that, participants criticized technical difficulties and scenes they could not identify with. There was consensus on open, gender-independent flirting options within the simulation, and awareness of gender diversity was raised. In addition, sexual harassment was consensually deemed an important issue linked to partying and alcohol. It was concluded that it should be addressed along with alcohol prevention. Disagreement was found on the relevance of gender and in attitudes towards different tailoring options. Conclusion: The present study showed that VR in alcohol prevention is positively evaluated by the target group. Future research should quantitatively clarify for which specific target groups VR simulations are most effective in alcohol prevention. LGBTQIA+ adolescents should be included when developing gender-sensitive simulations.