Resilience,PsychologicalRESILIDENTNCT06959992
Developing Resilience in Transgender and Nonbinary Individuals - Exploring the Impact of Social Challenges in the Metaverse
A study testing Metaverse group and Online asynchronously in people with Resilience,Psychological and Well-Being, Psychological, run by University of Bucharest at 1 site in Romania.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness of conducting a support group in the Metaverse designed to develop and/or improve resilience in gender diverse people. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Resilience,Psychological, Well-Being, Psychological, Self-Compassion
- What is being tested?
- Metaverse group and Online asynchronously
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 123 participants
- Where
- 1 siteRomania
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2025to Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 35 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Transgender and nonbinary individuals with a stable gender-identity or questioning
Who cannot join
- Presence of acute psychiatric instability (e.g., acute psychotic symptomatology or acute suicide risk)
- Not being part of the transgender population
- Younger than 18
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Romania1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Bucharest
Bucharest, Bucharest, 050663
Cezar Giosan, PhD, +40730908050, giosan@outlook.com
About this study
Official title: Evaluating the Efficacy of Virtual Support Groups Fostering Resilience for Gender Diverse People: a Randomized Clinical Trial in the Metaverse
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness of conducting a support group in the Metaverse designed to develop and/or improve resilience in gender diverse people. By exploring the impact of different social challenges in a virtual environment, the main question it aims to answer is whether this approach on conducting support group sessions with gender diverse people will strengthen their resilience and associated abilities (self-compassion) compared to a control group and a waitlist.
Read the detailed description
The gender diverse population is inclined toward online expression as a way to connect with the community and to explore ways of handling stigma from harsh environments that they live in. The potential beneficial effects of conducting a support group to build resilience and self-compassion, with members from the gender minority community in a virtual environment, allowing the expression of gender identity through avatar customization and social interaction are being tested in the form of a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT). There are three conditions: the virtual group (enrolling in a Metaverse platform with immersive features), the standard group (enrolling in an online forum platform) and the waitlist group.
The study is a between-subjects design with three arms and involves comparisons between pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up between: (a) Initial psychological states of the participants, (b) Mid-session, (c) After the support group sessions and (d) At follow-up (3 months). Participants will be randomly allocated to one of the three experimental arms.
For small-medium effect sizes assumed (f = 0.25), 3 groups and 4 measurements in time (pre- and post-intervention and one follow-up), a repeated measure analyzing between-within factors a minimum of 123 participants (total sample size) are needed. A target of 135 people (45 per group) has been set to allow for potential dropouts (~10%). Depending on recruitment feasibility and dropout rates throughout the study, this number may be increased.
The group sessions should be re-run several times as the chosen Metaverse platform and the general recommendations for conducting support groups limit the number of participants to 7-8 people/group.
- Being tested
- Metaverse group, Online asynchronously
- Keywords
- Metaverse, Gender minorities, Support groups, Resilience, Well-being, Randomized clinical trial, Self-compassion
- Medical subject headings
- Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Metaverse groupBehavioural
The activities will be conducted in a Metaverse platform with immersive features. Each session is divided into two parts (~2 hours duration). First, a specific social context will be represented (environmental features and static avatars) and a microaggression scenario (adapted for the chosen context) will be described. Participants are engaged in the conversation by the moderator in order to identify various psychological manifestations regarding the context (according to the SORC model) and to come up with solutions for the main, model avatar (part of the research team). Second, the debriefing part of the session will allow participants to talk about their own experiences alongside specific self-compassionate exercises. Repeated measurements will be required: pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention and at follow-up (after 3 months).
Online asynchronouslyBehavioural
The activities will be conducted asynchronously in an online platform where participants will be guided by the moderator through the same type of activities. First, a social context with specific microaggressions will be presented in a text format followed by the same requirements for participants (identifying various psychological manifestations regarding the context and coming up with solutions for the problematic situation). Second, participants will have the transcripts of several self-compassionate exercises to be done independently. A discussion forum will also require their active engagement. Repeated measurements will be required pre-interventions, mid-intervention, post-intervention and at follow-up (3 months).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Metaverse group | Experimental | Immersive online environment Receives: Behavioral: Metaverse group |
| Standard asynchronous online group | Active comparator | Online environment Receives: Behavioral: Online asynchronously |
| Waitlist | No intervention | Control |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Gender-affirmation
Assessing changes in levels of comfort and satisfaction related to gender identity with The Psychological Gender Affirmation Scale which contains 5 items, ranging from 1 - Not at all to 5 - Extremely. Higher scores indicate better outcomes.
Measured: Up to 5 months
Resilience
Assessing changes in resilient attitudes from a general perspective with the Brief Resilience Scale (6 items on a 5-point Likert response scale, ranging from 1 - Strongly disagree to 5 - Strongly agree) and from a specific view of gender minority resilience with the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure. Only the resilience items will be selected from the 58-items scale (5 items for Community connectedness and 8 items for Pride). Responses range from 0 - Strongly disagree to 4 - Strongly agree. Higher scores indicate better outcomes.
Measured: Up to 5 months
Stress and mental health correlates
Assessing changes in perceived distal (Discrimination, Rejection and Victimization - 17 items) and proximal stress factors (Non-affirmation of gender identity, Internalized transphobia, Nondisclosure and Negative future expectations - 28 items) with the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure (selecting only stress-related items) and in mental health symptoms with the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS), containing 21 items. Higher scores mean worse outcomes.
Measured: Up to 5 months
Coping mechanisms
Assessing changes in approached coping mechanisms with the Trans and Nonbinary Coping Measure containing 28 items and 6 subscales with both adaptive and maladaptive types of coping, on a 5-point Likert scale (1 - I do not do this to 5 - I almost always do this). Scoring significance depends on the nature of the coping mechanisms.
Measured: Up to 5 months
Self-compassion
Assessing changes in self-compassionate attitudes with the Short Form of the Self-Compassion Scale, containing 12 items on a 5-point Likert response scale ranging from 1 - Almost never to 5 - Almost always. Higher scores mean better outcomes.
Measured: Up to 5 months
Social support
Assessing changes in perceived social support with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, containing 12 items on a 7-point Likert response scale (ranging rom 1 - Very strongly disagree to 7 - Very strongly agree). Higher scores mean better outcomes.
Measured: Up to 5 months
Positive gender identity characteristics
Assessing changes in positive characteristics of gender identity with the Transgender Positive Identity Measure with 24 items with a 7-point Likert response scale (ranging from 1 - Strongly disagree to 7 - Strongly agree).
Measured: Through study completion, an average of 3 months
Secondary outcomes (4)
Mood changes
Short mood check questions for the beggining and end of the sessions with items from The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (6-point Likert scale).
Measured: Through study completion, an average of 3 months
Attitudes toward self
Changes in self-focused attention specific to gender minorities with the Gender Identity Reflection and Rumination Scale, containing 15 items on a 4-point Likert scale (1 - almost never to 4 - almost always). Higher scores for reflection mean better outcomes.
Measured: Up to 5 months
Assertive attitude
Changes in assertiveness are assessed with the Short Form of the Simple Rathus Assertiveness Scale, with 19 items on a 6-point Likert response format (1 - very unlike me to 6 - very much like me). Higher scores mean better outcomes.
Measured: Up to 5 months
Self-efficacy
Assessing enhacement in self-efficay with the General Self-Efficacy Scale with 10 items on a 4-point Likert scale (1 - Not true at all to 4 - Exactly true). Higher scores mean better outcomes.
Measured: Up to 5 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted7 May 2025
- Study start1 Sep 2025
- Primary completionDec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Resilience,PsychologicalStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 123 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Bucharest
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Cezar Giosan, University of Bucharest
- Investigators
- Cezar Giosan, PhD, Principal investigator, University of Bucharest
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06959992
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 123/01.10.2024
- Acronym
- RESILIDENT
- Status last verified
- Jul 2025
- First submitted
- 17 Apr 2025
- Last updated
- 28 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Evaluating the Efficacy of Virtual Support Groups Fostering Resilience for Gender Diverse People: a Randomized Clinical Trial in the Metaverse
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06959992
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- RESILIDENT / 123/01.10.2024
- Keywords
- Metaverse, Gender minorities, Support groups, Resilience, Well-being, Randomized clinical trial, Self-compassion
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 123 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of BucharestUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 7 May 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness of conducting a support group in the Metaverse designed to develop and/or improve resilience in gender diverse people. By exploring the impact of different social challenges in a virtual environment, the main question it aims to answer is whether this approach on conducting support group sessions with gender diverse people will strengthen their resilience and associated abilities (self-compassion) compared to a control group and a waitlist.
Detailed description
The gender diverse population is inclined toward online expression as a way to connect with the community and to explore ways of handling stigma from harsh environments that they live in. The potential beneficial effects of conducting a support group to build resilience and self-compassion, with members from the gender minority community in a virtual environment, allowing the expression of gender identity through avatar customization and social interaction are being tested in the form of a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT). There are three conditions: the virtual group (enrolling in a Metaverse platform with immersive features), the standard group (enrolling in an online forum platform) and the waitlist group.
The study is a between-subjects design with three arms and involves comparisons between pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up between: (a) Initial psychological states of the participants, (b) Mid-session, (c) After the support group sessions and (d) At follow-up (3 months). Participants will be randomly allocated to one of the three experimental arms.
For small-medium effect sizes assumed (f = 0.25), 3 groups and 4 measurements in time (pre- and post-intervention and one follow-up), a repeated measure analyzing between-within factors a minimum of 123 participants (total sample size) are needed. A target of 135 people (45 per group) has been set to allow for potential dropouts (~10%). Depending on recruitment feasibility and dropout rates throughout the study, this number may be increased.
The group sessions should be re-run several times as the chosen Metaverse platform and the general recommendations for conducting support groups limit the number of participants to 7-8 people/group.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Metaverse group | Experimental | Behavioral: Metaverse groupImmersive online environment |
| Standard asynchronous online group | Active comparator | Behavioral: Online asynchronouslyOnline environment |
| Waitlist | No intervention | –Control |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 35 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Transgender and nonbinary individuals with a stable gender-identity or questioning
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Presence of acute psychiatric instability (e.g., acute psychotic symptomatology or acute suicide risk)
- Not being part of the transgender population
- Younger than 18
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Metaverse groupThe activities will be conducted in a Metaverse platform with immersive features. Each session is divided into two parts (~2 hours duration). First, a specific social context will be represented (environmental features and static avatars) and a microaggression scenario (adapted for the chosen context) will be described. Participants are engaged in the conversation by the moderator in order to identify various psychological manifestations regarding the context (according to the SORC model) and to come up with solutions for the main, model avatar (part of the research team). Second, the debriefing part of the session will allow participants to talk about their own experiences alongside specific self-compassionate exercises. Repeated measurements will be required: pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention and at follow-up (after 3 months). | Behavioural | Metaverse group |
| Online asynchronouslyThe activities will be conducted asynchronously in an online platform where participants will be guided by the moderator through the same type of activities. First, a social context with specific microaggressions will be presented in a text format followed by the same requirements for participants (identifying various psychological manifestations regarding the context and coming up with solutions for the problematic situation). Second, participants will have the transcripts of several self-compassionate exercises to be done independently. A discussion forum will also require their active engagement. Repeated measurements will be required pre-interventions, mid-intervention, post-intervention and at follow-up (3 months). | Behavioural | Standard asynchronous online group |
Primary outcome
Gender-affirmation
Time frame: Up to 5 months
Assessing changes in levels of comfort and satisfaction related to gender identity with The Psychological Gender Affirmation Scale which contains 5 items, ranging from 1 - Not at all to 5 - Extremely. Higher scores indicate better outcomes.
Resilience
Time frame: Up to 5 months
Assessing changes in resilient attitudes from a general perspective with the Brief Resilience Scale (6 items on a 5-point Likert response scale, ranging from 1 - Strongly disagree to 5 - Strongly agree) and from a specific view of gender minority resilience with the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure. Only the resilience items will be selected from the 58-items scale (5 items for Community connectedness and 8 items for Pride). Responses range from 0 - Strongly disagree to 4 - Strongly agree. Higher scores indicate better outcomes.
Stress and mental health correlates
Time frame: Up to 5 months
Assessing changes in perceived distal (Discrimination, Rejection and Victimization - 17 items) and proximal stress factors (Non-affirmation of gender identity, Internalized transphobia, Nondisclosure and Negative future expectations - 28 items) with the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure (selecting only stress-related items) and in mental health symptoms with the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS), containing 21 items. Higher scores mean worse outcomes.
Coping mechanisms
Time frame: Up to 5 months
Assessing changes in approached coping mechanisms with the Trans and Nonbinary Coping Measure containing 28 items and 6 subscales with both adaptive and maladaptive types of coping, on a 5-point Likert scale (1 - I do not do this to 5 - I almost always do this). Scoring significance depends on the nature of the coping mechanisms.
Self-compassion
Time frame: Up to 5 months
Assessing changes in self-compassionate attitudes with the Short Form of the Self-Compassion Scale, containing 12 items on a 5-point Likert response scale ranging from 1 - Almost never to 5 - Almost always. Higher scores mean better outcomes.
Social support
Time frame: Up to 5 months
Assessing changes in perceived social support with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, containing 12 items on a 7-point Likert response scale (ranging rom 1 - Very strongly disagree to 7 - Very strongly agree). Higher scores mean better outcomes.
Positive gender identity characteristics
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 months
Assessing changes in positive characteristics of gender identity with the Transgender Positive Identity Measure with 24 items with a 7-point Likert response scale (ranging from 1 - Strongly disagree to 7 - Strongly agree).
4 secondary outcomes
Mood changes
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 months
Attitudes toward self
Time frame: Up to 5 months
Assertive attitude
Time frame: Up to 5 months
Self-efficacy
Time frame: Up to 5 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Cezar Giosan, PhD principal investigator
University of Bucharest
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Metaverse group and Online asynchronously in people with Resilience,Psychological and Well-Being, Psychological, run by University of Bucharest at 1 site in Romania.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Romania. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Cezar Giosan, PhD (+40730908050, giosan@outlook.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Gender-affirmation (time frame: Up to 5 months). The study lists 7 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 28 May 2026.