Eve, Zarah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3945-2042, Turner, Martin, Di Basilio, Daniela, Harkin, Benjamin
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1446-9673, Yates, Alan, Perrson, Sofia, Henry, John
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3674-8208, Williams, Ashley, Walton, Geoff
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4251-2891, Jones, Marc, Whitley, Charlotte and Craddock, Nathan
(2023)
Therapeutic games (TGs) to reduce anxiety and depression in young people: a systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis of their use and effectiveness.
Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy: an international journal of theory and practice.
ISSN 1063-3995
|
Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Objective: The development of serious games for mental wellbeing is a topic of growing interest. The increase in acceptance of games as a mainstream entertainment medium combined with the immersive qualities of games provide opportunities for meaningful support and intervention in mental wellbeing. Method: We conducted a systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis to examine if aspects of the interventions influenced outcomes as measured via overall effect sizes. We employed a multilevel meta-analytic approach to accommodate the interdependency of effect sizes (18 effect sizes from 14 studies, with 2027 participants). Results: Overall, the main effect for gaming interventions on any outcome variable was small to medium sized, d = 0.35 (CI: .23, 47, p < .001). Results revealed that the only significant moderator was the nature of the intervention. Specifically, only interventions that included a Rational Emotional Behavioural focus significantly predicted an improvement in depression and/or anxiety in participants. Conclusion: The findings reveal promising effects for therapeutic games (TGs) for mental health, but replications are needed, alongside the addressing of methodological and procedural concerns.
Impact and Reach
Statistics
Additional statistics for this dataset are available via IRStats2.