Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Serious Games
Date Submitted: Nov 22, 2024
Date Accepted: Aug 26, 2025
Active Video Games to Improve Behavioral Intentions and Cognitive Function in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects the cognitive, social, and daily functions of patients. Physical activity has been found to be important for maintaining these functions in those patients, but most of them lack the motivation to participate in physical activities.
Objective:
This study was to explore the efficacy of active video games (AVGs) active video games on the behavioral intention and cognitive function on patients with schizophrenia.
Methods:
In this experimental study, 103 participants were recruited from two medical centers. All participants were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group, and 82participants (the experimental, n = 41) and (the control group, n = 41) completed all the processes of our protocol. The experimental group was provided with AVGs for 30 min twice per week for six weeks. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and attitude toward behavior questionnaire were administered before and after playing the AVGs. Data were collected between April 2021 and January 2022. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) and paired t-tests were used for data analysis.
Results:
The experimental group showed significant improvements in behavioral intention to participate in active video games compared to the control group at both T1 (β = 4.88, p = 009) and T2 (β = 4.24, p = .035). Additionally, the experimental group experienced significant improvements in orientation (T2: β = 0.66, p = .043) and language (T2: β = 0.28, p = .030) among cognitive functions compared to the control group. In contrast, there was no significant change in these variables in the control group.
Conclusions:
Playing AVGs can effectively enhance the behavioral intention of patients with schizophrenia to participate in physical activity and exercise and significantly improve their orientation and language. AVGs are inexpensive and easily operated tools for people with mental or physical disabilities. Active video games can effectively enhance the behavioral intention of patients with schizophrenia to participate in novel device-assisted activities and significantly improve their orientation and language. Clinical Trial: Clinical Trials. gov. NCT05933356; https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/beta/records
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