Video Game Play to Alleviate Adolescent Anxiety

NCT ID: NCT05923944

Last Updated: 2025-05-23

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

150 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-06-01

Study Completion Date

2026-06-30

Brief Summary

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Adolescence is a critical period for the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders, which raises the importance of intervening early; one possibility of doing so is via digital interventions. At least two lines of research have been explored in the past years in this area. First, studies have tested the anxiolytic effects of casual video games, hypothesizing that, through the induction of flow, these games can effectively distract individuals from anxiety-related thoughts and feelings. Second, the bidirectional link between poor attentional control and higher anxiety has led to the design of novel interventions aiming to improve attentional control such as working memory training studies. Importantly, action video games, classified as a distinct gaming genre, have been shown to enhance attentional control. In this study, we aim to compare the effects of action video game play and casual game play to a no-training group, assessing their potential to alleviate anxiety when delivered entirely online. The goal of this three- arms randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the feasibility of a 6-week video game training intervention to reduce adolescent anxiety-related symptoms. We will also examine the efficacy of the proposed treatment when entirely deployed at adolescents' home.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Anxiety Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Eco-Rescue - Attentional Control - intervention

The Eco-Rescue training intervention will be delivered through a dedicated video game installed on each participant's personal computer through the Steam platform, following a recommended training regimen of 30 minutes per day, 4 days per week for 6 weeks, for an expected total training duration of 12 hours.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Eco-Rescue

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Ecorescue is a gamified adaptation of the multiple object tracking task (MOT) combined with a detection task. It requires to track the spatial position of specific moving targets among visually similar moving distractors, while at the same time detecting briefly flashed events. It was designed to load on attentional control and visuo-spatial working memory. Additionally, targets may express various facial emotions (happy, angry or neutral) requiring some emotional control in addition to attentional control.

Bejeweled 3 - Casual gaming - intervention

The Bejeweled 3 training intervention will be delivered through a dedicated video game installed on each participant's personal computer through the Steam platform, following a recommended training regimen of 30 minutes per day, 4 days per week for 6 weeks, for an expected total training duration of 12 hours.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Bejelewed 3

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Bejeweled 3 is a commercially available puzzle video game developed and edited by PopCap Games. The main objective is to swap two adjacent gems of seven colors to create a line or row of 3 or more gems of the same type. When these gems are aligned, they disappear, and points are earned. The goal is to get as many points as possible until it is impossible to line up gems. Bejeweled 3 offers a variety of game modes that players can freely explore at their own pace, enhancing the overall enjoyment and providing increased variability during each gaming session. These game modes typically have shorter durations, with a single game usually lasting less than 5 minutes. Bejeweled 3 was chosen as it requires fewer attentional resources compared to Eco-Rescue and because it was reported to reduce stress and anxiety in adult samples (Russoniello et al. 2009, 2013).

No-training intervention

The No-training intervention group does not involve any specific training program. Instead, participants assigned to this group will receive weekly phone calls, similar to the other groups, to answer the same questions as the other groups concerning their mental and emotional states and maintain regular contact throughout the 6-week study duration.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Eco-Rescue

Ecorescue is a gamified adaptation of the multiple object tracking task (MOT) combined with a detection task. It requires to track the spatial position of specific moving targets among visually similar moving distractors, while at the same time detecting briefly flashed events. It was designed to load on attentional control and visuo-spatial working memory. Additionally, targets may express various facial emotions (happy, angry or neutral) requiring some emotional control in addition to attentional control.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Bejelewed 3

Bejeweled 3 is a commercially available puzzle video game developed and edited by PopCap Games. The main objective is to swap two adjacent gems of seven colors to create a line or row of 3 or more gems of the same type. When these gems are aligned, they disappear, and points are earned. The goal is to get as many points as possible until it is impossible to line up gems. Bejeweled 3 offers a variety of game modes that players can freely explore at their own pace, enhancing the overall enjoyment and providing increased variability during each gaming session. These game modes typically have shorter durations, with a single game usually lasting less than 5 minutes. Bejeweled 3 was chosen as it requires fewer attentional resources compared to Eco-Rescue and because it was reported to reduce stress and anxiety in adult samples (Russoniello et al. 2009, 2013).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Adolescents aged 11-15 years
2. High-anxious score from the 41 items SCARED-Parent version (i.e. total score equal or above 17)
3. Access to a computer (at least Windows 7 or Mac OSX) at home and a reliable internet connection

Exclusion Criteria

1. DSM diagnoses of Bipolar, Psychosis, Autism Spectrum Disorder, present or past.
2. Neurological injury (i.e. head injury)
3. Currently enrolled in another cognitive training intervention
Minimum Eligible Age

11 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

15 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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University of Geneva, Switzerland

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Haifa

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Swiss National Science Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

School of Health Sciences Geneva

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Daphné Bavelier, Professor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Geneva, Switzerland

Swann Pichon, Professor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

HES - Geneva School of Health Science, Switzerland

Tomer Shechner, Professor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Haifa, Israel

Locations

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University of Haifa

Haifa, , Israel

Site Status RECRUITING

University of Geneva

Geneva, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Israel Switzerland

Central Contacts

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Naïma Gradi, PhD Student

Role: CONTACT

+33 6 31 85 49 96

Swann Pichon, Professor

Role: CONTACT

+41 22 558 66 42

Facility Contacts

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Tomer Shechner, Professor

Role: primary

+972 545 588 522

Naïma Gradi, PhD Student

Role: primary

Swann Pichon, Professor

Role: backup

+41 22 558 66 42

References

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Hisamura M, Murao M. [Studies on the changes of vital functions during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in the aged patients (author's transl)]. Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1981 Nov;18(6):469-75. No abstract available. Japanese.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7339086 (View on PubMed)

Yung A, Cardoso-Leite P, Dale G, Bavelier D, Green CS. Methods to test visual attention online. J Vis Exp. 2015 Feb 19;(96):52470. doi: 10.3791/52470.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25741746 (View on PubMed)

Schweizer S, Leung JT, Kievit R, Speekenbrink M, Trender W, Hampshire A, Blakemore SJ. Protocol for an app-based affective control training for adolescents: proof-of-principle double-blind randomized controlled trial. Wellcome Open Res. 2019 Oct 2;4:91. doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15229.2. eCollection 2019.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31289755 (View on PubMed)

Pylyshyn ZW, Storm RW. Tracking multiple independent targets: evidence for a parallel tracking mechanism. Spat Vis. 1988;3(3):179-97. doi: 10.1163/156856888x00122.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 3153671 (View on PubMed)

Russoniello CV, O'Brien K, Parks JM. EEG, HRV and Psychological Correlates while Playing Bejeweled II: A Randomized Controlled Study. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2009;144:189-92.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19592761 (View on PubMed)

Russoniello CV, Fish M, O'Brien K. The Efficacy of Casual Videogame Play in Reducing Clinical Depression: A Randomized Controlled Study. Games Health J. 2013 Dec;2(6):341-6. doi: 10.1089/g4h.2013.0010. Epub 2013 Nov 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26197075 (View on PubMed)

Derryberry D, Reed MA. Anxiety-related attentional biases and their regulation by attentional control. J Abnorm Psychol. 2002 May;111(2):225-36. doi: 10.1037//0021-843x.111.2.225.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 12003445 (View on PubMed)

Kroenke K, Strine TW, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Berry JT, Mokdad AH. The PHQ-8 as a measure of current depression in the general population. J Affect Disord. 2009 Apr;114(1-3):163-73. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2008.06.026. Epub 2008 Aug 27.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18752852 (View on PubMed)

Garnefski, N., Kraaij, V., & Spinhoven, P. (2001). Negative life events, cognitive emotion regulation and emotional problems. Personality and Individual differences, 30(8), 1311-1327.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Goodman R, Meltzer H, Bailey V. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a pilot study on the validity of the self-report version. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1998 Sep;7(3):125-30. doi: 10.1007/s007870050057.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9826298 (View on PubMed)

Gradi N, Chopin A, Bavelier D, Shechner T, Pichon S. Evaluating the effect of action-like video game play and of casual video game play on anxiety in adolescents with elevated anxiety: protocol for a multi-center, parallel group, assessor-blind, randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2024 Jan 19;24(1):56. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-05515-7.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 38243201 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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https://neuroscape.ucsf.edu/researchers-ace/

adaptation of the TOVA as implemented in the ACE-X battery

Other Identifiers

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10001C_212812

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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