Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Review article › peer-review
Article number | e2938 |
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark> | 26/01/2024 |
<mark>Journal</mark> | Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy |
Issue number | 1 |
Volume | 31 |
Publication Status | Published |
Early online date | 28/11/23 |
<mark>Original language</mark> | English |
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 provides 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 =.35 (confidence interval [.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 for mental health, but replications are needed, alongside the addressing of methodological and procedural concerns.