Tough Talks research study determined the efficacy of a novel app that utilized virtual-reality based simulations to allow young people living with HIV to practice disclosing their status to their sexual partners in a safe space. This intervention program was not intended to get people to disclose their status to everyone in their life, but rather to help them decide who to disclose to, how to do it, and how to prepare for the outcome.
The whole app consisted of four sections each focused on a different aspect of disclosure. Utilizing choose-your-own-adventure style games, informational and skills-building activities, and virtual-reality disclosure sessions, users could practice disclosing their status to avatars representing real-life people in different scenarios, experiencing a wide variety of outcomes from support, acceptance, confusion, and rejection.
