Embodying the victim: Virtual embodiment equalizes gender responses to simulated domestic violence

Virtual embodiment (i.e. the first-person experience of inhabiting a virtual body) has been shown to modulate emotional and cognitive responses across diverse social contexts. In the domain of domestic violence, virtual reality (VR) offers a promising tool for fostering awareness of and sensitivity to aggressive behavior. Yet any VRbased intervention relying on shared experiential ground across genders must first establish cross-gender equivalence, regardless of whether VR is ultimately the optimal delivery platform. To address this requirement, we embodied 40 participants (20 male, 20 female) in a female avatar and exposed them to a VR domestic violence scenario featuring escalating verbal and physical aggression. We measured physiological responses (electrodermal activity, EDA), behavioral performance (Onset Time), and self-reported experiences (presence, embodiment, empathy), supplemented by post-experience verbal reports. Cross-gender equivalence was evaluated using a Two One-Sided Tests (TOST) procedure. Across physiological, behavioral, and subjective measures, male and female participants responded equivalently: EDA modulation was comparable across scenario phases, distress-threshold reaction times were statistically equivalent, and ratings of presence and embodiment did not differ meaningfully between groups. Of 33 binary verbal indicators, 30 (91%) fell within the equivalence margin. The three non-equivalent indicators were interpretive in nature: males more frequently reported guilt and submission, and tended to identify the onset of violence only upon physical aggression, whereas females recognized it during earlier verbal escalation. Within-gender EDA coupling further distinguished the groups – in males, physiological arousal co-varied with feelings of submission; in females, it co-varied with discomfort and perceived violation. These findings demonstrate that virtual embodiment substantially aligns male and female responses to simulated domestic violence, supporting its potential as a standardized tool for prevention and rehabilitation programs targeting gender-based violence.