JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Adolescent mental health is of utmost importance. E-mental health interventions, in particular serious games, are appealing to adolescents and can have beneficial effects on their mental health. A serious game, which aims to impact cognitive vulnerability, can contribute to the prevention of mental problems in young people.

Objective:

To assess the feasibility of a prototype of a serious game called ‘Silver’.

Methods:

The prototype of a serious game was developed utilizing a user-centered and participatory design. The prototype of Silver focused on one aspect of a serious game for improving cognitive vulnerability in adolescents i.e., the recognition and identification of cognitive distortions. A pre-test/post-test design was employed, with a one-week intervention phase in which participants were asked to play the game. Participants, aged between 12-16 years, were recruited in schools. Outcomes of interest were recognition of cognitive distortions and presence of participants’ cognitive distortions. The game was also evaluated on its effect, content, and usefulness.

Results:

630 adolescents played Silver and completed the assessments. Adolescents were significantly better at recognizing cognitive distortions and their cognitive distortions decreased significantly after playing Silver. Moreover, participants indicated that the game helped them recognise cognitive distortions. The majority of participants considered the game appealing but also boring and they would prefer a more comprehensive game.

Conclusions:

Findings from the present study suggest that a serious game may be an effective tool to improve cognitive vulnerability in adolescents. The development of such a serious game, based on the studied prototype, is recommended. It may be an important and innovative tool in the universal prevention of mental problems in young people. Future research on the effects of the game is warranted.