New Video Games Tailored to Improve Children’s Mental Well-being

According to the efforts of a Johns Hopkins Children’s Center review team, existing research indicates that some video games developed as premised health approaches, while limited, can be effective in enhancing the mental health of children, adolescents suffering from anxiety, depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The review includes studies published in peer-reviewed journals from the year 2011 to the 20th of March 2024, which has been published in the JAMA Pediatrics. 

In the United States, it is estimated that almost one in five children and young people, aged three to 17 years old, have a mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder. The report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality highlighted that more than 40% of high school students showed suicidal tendencies in the 10-year span before the year 2019. 

Our studies also show, for instance, that the aggravation of such trends can be attributed to the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and though studies indicate that children’s mental health care is being actively pursued by parents and other custodians, the waiting periods for appointments have escalated. 

“We located papers that showed that one could increase the number of pediatric mental health providers by two times and it still would not be an adequate resolution to the problem,” Barry Bryant, M.D. a resident from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the lead author of the study remarks. 

Analyzing the applications of the so-called “video games for primary mental health interventions” in randomized clinical trials in children and adolescents, the research team sought to both understand and evaluate the effects of the treatments on anxiety, depression and ADHD. 

The design of the digital mental health interventions was different in various content, all of them had a purpose of managing ADHD, depression and anxiety. For instance, concerning ADHD, some of the games included racing activities or dividing attention such that the user was required to focus on more than one task for a successful gameplay. 

In the case of depression and anxiety, several such applications focused on teaching concepts from the field of psychotherapy in a more engaging game like manner. 

For Spoken Language Technology, the devices included digital platforms such as personal computers, desktops, tablets, gaming consoles and mobile telephones. The video games are made available to the users in several platforms, some of which are demand driven, and others are provided through the websites, while still other games are accessible only through the concerned research groups carrying out the studies. 

Outcome measurement assessment opposed each study included to some extent. Nevertheless, the Johns Hopkins research team was able to measure standardised effect sizes using a random effects model such that a positive mean weighted standardized mean difference was achieved when interventions exceeded control conditions.

In the articles reviewed, the overall treatment effects were quantified using Hedges g which is a statistical tool that evaluates effect size. 

The researchers investigated also the elements that make the use of digital mental health interventions more beneficial. Some of the specific factors such as the type of video games used (i.e., computer-based interventions with specific high engagement levels) as well as the design of the participants’ profile (i.e., studies, which included more boys) were able to enhance the therapeutic outcomes. There is indication that these possible improvements would address the currently limited symptom relief.  

The group warned that their analysis was silent regarding the reasons that certain interventions with video games are more effective than others.

Furthermore, they mention that certain trials included in the report used outcomes reported by parents or children themselves instead of outcome assessments by clinicians using standardized measures, in addition to the fact that the studies did not consider and report on the same aspects as actual engagement of the participants and other social activities that may have affected the results of treatment. 

Finally, the authors found that some of the video games used in the studies are difficult to obtain as they are either not found on the web or are only accessible after payment. 

Reference  

Barry R. Bryant et al, Efficacy of Gamified Digital Mental Health Interventions for Pediatric Mental Health Conditions, JAMA Pediatrics (2024). 

DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.3139