How to prepare for conversations with children about suspicions of sexual abuse? Evaluation of an interactive virtual reality training for student teachers

Background: Training for child interviewing in case of suspected (sexual) abuse must include ongoing practice, expert feedback and performance evaluation. Computer-based interview simulations including these components have shown efficacy in promoting open-ended questioning skills. Objective: We evaluated ViContact, a training program for childcare professionals on conversations with children in case of suspected abuse. Participants and setting: 110 student teachers were divided into four groups and took part either in a two-hour virtual reality training through verbal interaction with virtual children, followed by automated, personalized feedback (VR), two days of online seminar training on conversation skills, related knowledge and action strategies (ST), a combination of both (ST + VR), or no training (control group, CG). Methods: We conducted a pre-registered, randomized-controlled evaluation study. Pre-post changes on three behavioral outcomes in the VR conversations and two questionnaire scores (self-efficacy and - undesirable - na & iuml;ve confidence in one's own judgment of an abuse suspicion) were analyzed via mixed ANOVA interaction effects. Results: Combined training vs. CG led to improvements in the proportion of recommended questions (eta(2)(p) = 0.75), supportive utterances (eta(2)(p) = 0.36), and self-efficacy (eta(2)(p) = 0.77; all ps < .001). Both interventions alone improved the proportion of recommended questions (VR: eta(2)(p) = 0.67, ST: eta(2)(p) = 0.68, ps < .001) and self-efficacy (VR: eta(2)(p) = 0.24, ST: eta(2)(p) = 0.65, ps < .001), but not supportive utterances (VR: eta(2)(p) = 0.10, ST: eta(2)(p) = 0.13, both n. s.). Conclusions: The combination of VR and ST proved most beneficial. Thus, VR exercises should not replace, but rather complement classical training approaches.