This qualitative pilot study investigated the drawing experiences of five adolescent participants to examine virtual reality (VR) as an expressive tool for art therapy for trauma-exposed youth. The participants drew their safe space with traditional art materials (TAM) and then replicated it three-dimensionally utilizing the Oculus Quest for VR artmaking. A phenomenological comparison approach allowed the researcher to explore the data collected through thematic analysis. The investigator presents five themes as the result of five transcribed and coded semi-structured interviews: lack of knowledge/confidence, novelty, empowerment, multisensory, and an unexpected finding of gender-switching to avoid cyberbullying. The results of this pilot study suggest that VR fostered the adolescents’ participation while empowering them to express thoughts, actions, and emotions in nontraditional forms.

这项定性试点研究调查了五名青少年参与者的绘画经历，以检验虚拟现实 (VR) 作为对遭受创伤的青少年进行艺术治疗的表达工具。参与者用传统艺术材料（TAM）绘制了他们的安全空间，然后利用 Oculus Quest 进行 VR 艺术创作，将其进行三维复制。现象学比较方法使研究人员能够探索通过主题分析收集的数据。调查员根据五次转录和编码的半结构化访谈提出了五个主题：缺乏知识/信心、新颖性、赋权、多感官以及意外发现的性别转换以避免网络欺凌。这项试点研究的结果表明，虚拟现实促进了青少年的参与，同时使他们能够以非传统形式表达思想、行动和情感。