UC Santa Cruz

Preadolescents with orofacial cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) will often require support in developing and strengthening psychosocial skills. As instances of peer rejection, bullying and low self-esteem are prevalent during this age, preadolescents with CLP may require psychosocial support in learning to accept their condition and effectively deal with difficult social situations. Accessing this type of support can be challenging, as clinicians and healthcare professionals may lack the experience and training necessary to provide adequate psychosocial support to preadolescents with CLP. Licensed psychologists with experience working with this population may be available, however it is noted that the costs associated with their support may cause increased financial strain on families and individuals with CLP. In this dissertation work, I aim to address some of these challenges through the design, development and evaluation of a serious virtual reality (VR) game in providing psychosocial support to preadolescents with CLP. In collaboration with global cleft organization, Smile Train, I designed this game with psychologists and patients from their partnering clinics and hospitals across the globe, and evaluated the use of the game as a supplement to existing psychosocial support sessions with a psychologist. Through this work, I examine the impact of co-designing a VR game for psychosocial support and the feasibility of VR games for providing psychosocial support to this population, discussing the implications of the findings towards future work in this field.