The DOI matches its Crossref record; 57 of the 57 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 56 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
Game-Based Digital Interventions for Depression Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Open accessAbstract
The aim of this study was to review the existing literature on game-based digital interventions for depression systematically and examine their effectiveness through a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Database searching was conducted using specific search terms and inclusion criteria. A standard meta-analysis was also conducted of available RCT studies with a random effects model. The standard mean difference (Cohen's d) was used to calculate the effect size of each study. Nineteen studies were included in the review, and 10 RCTs (eight studies) were included in the meta-analysis. Four types of game interventions-psycho-education and training, virtual reality exposure therapy, exercising, and entertainment-were identified, with various types of support delivered and populations targeted. The meta-analysis revealed a moderate effect size of the game interventions for depression therapy at posttreatment (d=-0.47 [95% CI -0.69 to -0.24]). A subgroup analysis showed that interventions based on psycho-education and training had a smaller effect than those based on the other forms, and that self-help interventions yielded better outcomes than supported interventions. A higher effect was achieved when a waiting list was used as the control. The review and meta-analysis support the effectiveness of game-based digital interventions for depression. More large-scale, high-quality RCT studies with sufficient long-term data for treatment evaluation are needed.
Overview
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Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined game-based digital interventions for depression, identifying 19 studies and meta-analyzing 10 RCTs from 8 studies. Game interventions showed a moderate posttreatment effect on depression (d=−0.47, 95% CI −0.69 to −0.24), with subgroup differences by game type, support type, and control condition.
Key findings
- Nineteen studies were included in the review, covering four game types: psycho-education and training, virtual reality exposure therapy, exercising, and entertainment.
- The meta-analysis of 10 RCTs (8 studies; 636 participants) found a moderate effect size for depression at posttreatment: d=−0.47 [95% CI −0.69 to −0.24], Z=−4.09, p<0.0001, with moderate heterogeneity (I²=47%). After removing one possible outlier, the effect was d=−0.35 [95% CI −0.53 to −0.16] and heterogeneity fell to I²=18%.
- Subgroup analyses showed virtual reality exposure therapy had the largest effect (d=−0.67 [95% CI −1.19 to −0.14]), followed by entertainment (d=−0.42 [95% CI −1.23 to 0.39]), psycho-education and training (d=−0.41 [95% CI −0.67 to −0.14]), and exercising (d=−0.24 [95% CI −0.86 to 0.39]).
- Nontherapist-involved interventions had a larger effect than therapist-involved interventions (d=−0.54 vs. d=−0.44), and waiting-list controls yielded a larger effect (d=−0.66 [95% CI −1.14 to −0.18]) than treatment as usual (d=−0.39 [95% CI −0.68 to −0.11]) or active treatment (d=−0.53 [95% CI −1.10 to 0.03]).
Methods
- Systematic review searching seven health and technology databases for English-language studies published before May 2013, using terms for digital games and depression/mental health; eligible studies had to evaluate depression symptoms with a reliable and valid depression scale.
- Meta-analysis included only RCTs with a controlled condition (e.g., waiting list, treatment as usual, or active treatment); non-RCTs, studies with uninterpretable/incomplete data, and studies with game-based control conditions were excluded.
- Ten RCTs from 8 studies were analyzed in Review Manager 5.2 using a random-effects model and Cohen’s d; heterogeneity was assessed with I² and Q statistics, and a priori subgroup analyses used a mixed-effects model. Risk of bias was assessed by two reviewers using Cochrane domains.
Limitations
- The paper states that only a small number of studies met inclusion criteria, leading to relatively few RCTs for meta-analysis; broad ranges of target groups, support types, and depression severity produced considerable heterogeneity, limiting generalizability.
- The paper states that long-term data are lacking; only the RCTs by Emmelkamp et al. and Proudfoot et al. reported some remaining benefits at 6-month follow-up, and attrition rates were not presented in the meta-analysis.
- Evident from the text: several subgroup estimates were based on only one trial (entertainment, exercising, elderly), and many risk-of-bias domains were rated unclear due to incomplete reporting; one study had high risk of bias in random sequence generation, and two had high risk due to incomplete outcome data.
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Claims the paper makes
0 of 56 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Nineteen studies were included in the review, and 10 RCTs (eight studies) were included in the meta-analysis.”
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
“Thus, eight studies involving a total of 636 participants in 10 RCTs were eligible for inclusion in the final meta-analysis.”
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Rests on an assumption: The included game-based digital interventions are sufficiently similar to be pooled in a single meta-analysis.
- Rests on an assumption: The different control conditions (waiting lists, treatment as usual, other active treatments) are sufficiently comparable to be combined in the overall meta-analysis.
- Rests on an assumption: The depression scales used across studies measure the same underlying construct and can be pooled as self-reported depression outcomes.
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A subgroup analysis showed that interventions based on psycho-education and training had a smaller effect than those based on the other forms, and that self-help interventions yielded better outcomes than supported interventions.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Four types of game interventions—psycho-education and training, virtual reality exposure therapy, exercising, and entertainment—were identified, with various types of support delivered and populations targeted.”
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
“They were divided into four categories based on the game types they involved: (a) psycho-education and training, (b) virtual reality exposure therapy, (c) exercising, and (d) entertainment.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- Also stated in: § Results · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Nineteen studies were included in the review, and 10 RCTs (eight studies) were included in the meta-analysis.”
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
“The search yielded a total of 1,179 articles, with 19 studies meeting the criteria for inclusion in the final review.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- Rests on an assumption: The search of seven databases and the selected search terms identified all relevant studies.
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Heterogeneity among the depression outcomes was moderate (I2=47%; Table 2).”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“which was statistically significant (Z=−4.09, p<0.0001).”
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Rests on an assumption: The included game-based digital interventions are sufficiently similar to be pooled in a single meta-analysis.
- Rests on an assumption: The different control conditions (waiting lists, treatment as usual, other active treatments) are sufficiently comparable to be combined in the overall meta-analysis.
- Rests on an assumption: The depression scales used across studies measure the same underlying construct and can be pooled as self-reported depression outcomes.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“inspection of the forest plot suggested that one comparison was a possible outlier.39”
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A subgroup analysis showed that interventions based on psycho-education and training had a smaller effect than those based on the other forms, and that self-help interventions yielded better outcomes than supported interventions.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The meta-analysis revealed a moderate effect size of the game interventions for depression therapy at posttreatment (d=−0.47 [95% CI −0.69 to −0.24]).”
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
“Across the 10 comparisons (eight studies) and a total of 387 game-based digital intervention groups and 388 control groups, there was a moderate effect size of d=−0.47 [95% CI −0.69 to −0.24]; Fig. 2) for self-reported depression posttest”
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Rests on an assumption: The included game-based digital interventions are sufficiently similar to be pooled in a single meta-analysis.
- Rests on an assumption: The different control conditions (waiting lists, treatment as usual, other active treatments) are sufficiently comparable to be combined in the overall meta-analysis.
- Rests on an assumption: The depression scales used across studies measure the same underlying construct and can be pooled as self-reported depression outcomes.
- Also stated in: § Results · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A higher effect was achieved when a waiting list was used as the control.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
- It may state two separate claims as one. 22
- Probably not a substantial claim. 17
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“After removing the outlier, the effect size changed to −0.35 [95% CI −0.53 to −0.16] and the heterogeneity decreased significantly to a low level (I2=18%).”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Some scales were applied for particular age groups, such as the Children's Depression Inventory and Child Depression Rating Scale Revised (CDRS-R) for adolescents, and the Geriatric Depression Scale for elderly people.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For example, many of the studies used only a simple statement such as “we randomly allocated” or “using a randomized design” without indicting clearly the process of randomization, indicating that selection bias may have been a problem.”
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“However, it is important to note that 11 of the studies were aimed at “young people” younger than 30 years if we change the classification of the target population.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“One study had a high risk of bias in random sequence generation,41 and two had a high risk of bias due to incomplete outcome data.39,41”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [41] Knox M, 2011, Mental Health in Family Medicine
- Not checked yetcites [39] source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Games in the virtual reality exposure therapy group (d=−0.67 [95% CI −1.19 to −0.14]) seem to achieve the biggest effect size, followed by the entertainment (d=−0.42 [95% CI −1.23 to 0.39]) and psycho-education and training groups (d=−0.41 [95% CI −0.67 to −0.14]).”
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A wide range of different self-reported scales was used to measure depression in the trials, among which the Beck Depression Inventory was the most popular (used in 7 out of the 19 studies).”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In terms of target groups, the majority of the studies (11) focused on general adults, four were aimed at adolescents younger than 18 years, and two targeted elderly people older than 65 years (two studies did not mention the participants' ages).”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Although the effect size was quite low for the elderly population (d=−0.24 [95% CI −0.86 to 0.39]), the estimate is probably not meaningful, as it was only based on one study.”
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Two studies introduced therapeutic interventions using exercising video games to treat depression.28,40 Both were aimed at older adults, and used the Nintendo Wii device to encourage body motions during game playing.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Ferguson and Rueda33 and Valadez and Ferguson34 suggested that players' depression decreased when playing offline violent games”
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“It is important to note that after the removal of a possible outlier,39 the effect size of the other nine trials did not change significantly, but the heterogeneity decreased significantly to a low level.”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [39] source
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Studies aimed at adults were recorded as having the strongest effect size (d=−0.54 [95% CI −0.86 to −0.21]) in the subgroup analyses of target population, with no heterogeneity in the three trials included in the subgroup.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Twelve out of the 19 studies involved between-group experiments with at least a control condition, whereas the other seven applied other methodologies such as a single-group study or case study.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Sample size is another possible explanation, with Sally et al.'s trial involving nearly six times as many participants than Fleming et al.'s trial (187 vs. 32 participants).”
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In addition, as the review involved studies with a broad range of target groups, support types, and significance of depression symptoms, there was considerable heterogeneity across the studies.”
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As game-based digital applications for depression therapy is a rather new research area, only a small number of studies met the inclusion criteria, which also led to relatively few RCTs being identified for the meta-analysis.”
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In the 19 studies included in the review, four categories of game types were identified and described, of which psycho-education and training and virtual reality exposure therapy were identified as the most popular types of game application for depression.”
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Preliminary results from some early attempts to use this approach in the field have supported this claim by showing the effectiveness of individual games in reducing depression levels11,12 and enhancing social support.13”
What the sources say
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Two reviewers were involved in the assessment of the methodological quality of each study, following Cochrane's method for assessing the risk of bias.25”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [25] Higgins JPT, 2009
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
In the paper
“The health benefits of digital videogames for older adults have been supported by a recent review,52”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [52] source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“These games provoke sensations of pleasure,45 further resulting in behavioral or cognitive distraction in individuals toward external stressors.”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [45] Caillois R, 2006
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“As distraction is a significant way of managing negative emotions,46 exercising and entertainment interventions have the potential to reduce depression by suspending reality.”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [46] source
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Finally, we did not present data on attrition rates in the meta-analysis, which is a common concern for interventions that offer no support.53”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [53] source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This may be because no treatment is worse than some treatment.”
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Rests on an assumption: No treatment is worse than some treatment.
In the paper
“and Wilkinson et al.20 further suggested that the elderly population is an important group that merits attention from therapeutic game developers.”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [20] source
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The variance might reflect that game-based psycho-education intervention has higher effect on treating depression among adolescents excluded from mainstream education (Fleming et al.'s trial), rather than typical young people (Sally et al.'s trial).”
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“With the interactive platform and game elements involved, psycho-education and training interventions may have further advantages in activating patients' motivation in the learning process and increasing the efficacy of teaching instrumental actions to deal with stressful situations.15”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [15] source
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Given that digital games are popular among young people,48,49 they have a high potential to become valuable tools for mental therapy for teenagers and young adults.”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [48] source
- Not checked yetcites [49] Lenhart A, 2008, Pew Internet and American Life Project
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“According to Caillois' well-known taxonomy of games, virtual reality exposure therapy is a typical “mimicry” game type.45”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [45] Caillois R, 2006
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This heterogeneity can be seen as an advantage because it allowed us to investigate the differences among the studies, but it does mean that the results are of limited generalizability and should be interpreted with caution.”
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“By simulating a real environment and contexts, this type of intervention can lead to a sense of illusion and the delimitation of space and time.45”
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [45] Caillois R, 2006
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As only 2 out of the 19 studies focused on the elderly, there is clearly a research demand for future studies on the development and evaluation of digital game-based interventions tailored specifically to address elderly depression.”
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“It is important to note that most of the studies were conducted with a small number of participants, and thus suffer from the risk of bias.”
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
The paper relies on this without support.
The included game-based digital interventions are sufficiently similar to be pooled in a single meta-analysis.
“To estimate the effects of game-based digital interventions on depression, we applied the standard mean difference (Cohen's d) to calculate the effect size for each study in the posttreatment period, weighted by sample size, using a random effects model.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The different control conditions (waiting lists, treatment as usual, other active treatments) are sufficiently comparable to be combined in the overall meta-analysis.
“The meta-analysis only included RCTs that encompassed a controlled condition (such as waiting lists, treatment as usual, or other active treatments).”
The paper relies on this without support.
The depression scales used across studies measure the same underlying construct and can be pooled as self-reported depression outcomes.
“Eligible studies had to contain an evaluation of the treatment's effects on participants' depression symptoms using a reliable and valid depression scale.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The search of seven databases and the selected search terms identified all relevant studies.
“A search of seven main health and technology databasesa was conducted to identify studies published in English before May 2013.”
The paper relies on this without support.
No treatment is worse than some treatment.
“This may be because no treatment is worse than some treatment.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Virtual reality exposure therapy is more cost effective than exposure in vivo and allows therapists to control appropriate exposure stimuli for patients.
“Compared with exposure in vivo, which requires going outside, virtual reality exposure therapy is more cost effective, and allows therapists to control the appropriate exposure stimuli for patients.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Mental health apps provide a potential way to reduce symptoms and increase adherence by dispensing psychoeducation and other therapeutic skills through an electronic, easily accessible format [26-34].”
From Examining the effectiveness of gamification in mental health apps for depression: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [26]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Consistent with prior systematic reviews and meta-analyses on digital interventions for depression, we found that mental health app interventions are moderately effective in reducing depressive symptoms compared to controls [26,37,38,41,89].”
From Examining the effectiveness of gamification in mental health apps for depression: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [26]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Additionally, previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have shown significant reductions in symptoms for depression and other mental disorders while using mental health apps, some of which included cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or gamification elements [26,36,37,40,41].”
From Examining the effectiveness of gamification in mental health apps for depression: Systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [26]
In the citing paper
“Also, since the available reviews (36, 37) included studies that are not all RCTs, questions about effectiveness could not be answered optimally.”
From Serious Games for Mental Health: Are They Accessible, Feasible, and Effective? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2017) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“Thus while a few reviews (36, 37) have been conducted on the potential impact of serious games for common mental disorders, none of these are robust.”
From Serious Games for Mental Health: Are They Accessible, Feasible, and Effective? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2017) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“Support for the effectiveness of game-based interventions for depression was found.”
From Serious Games for Mental Health: Are They Accessible, Feasible, and Effective? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2017) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“This finding is similar to that of a recently conducted meta-analysis of game-based interventions by Li et al. (36) for depression only.”
From Serious Games for Mental Health: Are They Accessible, Feasible, and Effective? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2017) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“However, Li and colleagues did not confine their meta-analysis to serious games—they included simulation studies as well.”
From Serious Games for Mental Health: Are They Accessible, Feasible, and Effective? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2017) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“The clinical impact for the youth group (≤18, g = 0.70, n = 5) is comparable to the adult group (g = 0.53), as in the Li et al.’s study (36).”
From Serious Games for Mental Health: Are They Accessible, Feasible, and Effective? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2017) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“Although much less work has been done with serious games for mental health as compared to other conditions, several game-based interventions have been developed [62-65].”
From Use of the Principles of Design Thinking to Address Limitations of Digital Mental Health Interventions for Youth: Viewpoint (2019) · cites this paper as [65]
Statistics recomputed
Every reported test result, recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom. A result shows as not adding up only once an independent check has confirmed it.
- Consistentz = -4.09reported p < .0001 · recomputed p < .001
“(Z=−4.09, p < .0001”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Active-treatment result is marked significant despite a confidence interval crossing zero
MinorThe active-treatment comparison is marked *** (p<0.01), but its reported 95% confidence interval includes zero. Its reported Z of 1.85 also corresponds to a two-sided p-value of approximately 0.064.
“Active treatment 2 −0.53 [−1.10, 0.03] 1.85 *** 6%”
“***p<0.01; ****p<0.001.”
Nontherapist subgroup significance marking is too strong
MinorThe reported Z of 3.27 corresponds to a two-sided p-value of approximately 0.0011, which does not meet the table's **** threshold of p<0.001.
“Nontherapist involved (SA+PSH) 3 −0.54 [−0.86, −0.21] 3.27 **** 0%”
“***p<0.01; ****p<0.001.”
Two game-type comparisons have incorrect significance markings
MinorThe reported Z values of 3.00 and 2.49 correspond to two-sided p-values of approximately 0.0027 and 0.013, respectively. Neither meets the table's stated **** threshold of p<0.001.
“Psycho-education and training 6 −0.41 [−0.67, −0.14] 3.00 **** 48% Virtual reality exposure therapy 2 −0.67 [−1.19, −0.14] 2.49 **** 49%”
“***p<0.01; ****p<0.001.”
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Mental Health Smartphone Apps: Review and Evidence-Based Recommendations for Future Developments
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“A meta-analysis of 10 RCTs found that electronic-game-based depression interventions had a moderate effect on depressive symptoms ( d =−0.47, 95% CI −0.69 to −0.24) [244].”
InfluentialSerious Games and Gamification for Mental Health: Current Status and Promising Directions
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“However, actual studies are not conclusive (105, 106).”
BackgroundVirtual reality exposure therapy for social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial.
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Maximizing the Impact of e-Therapy and Serious Gaming: Time for a Paradigm Shift
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“The inclusion of gaming elements within computerized psychotherapies, and games or game-like environments with embedded therapeutic content, has been tested in several trials (32, 33).”
BackgroundHollis, C., Sampson, S., Simons, L., Davies, E. B., Churchill, R., Betton, V., Butler, D., Chapman, K., Easton, K., Gronlund, T. A., et al. (2018) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(18)30296-7 · Cited by 186
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“For example, some participants suggested gamification strategies, which have previously shown some promise in improving engagement with DHIs [59, 60].”
BackgroundTelemedicine and Virtual Reality for Cognitive Rehabilitation: A Roadmap for the COVID-19 Pandemic
Mantovani, E., Zucchella, C., Bottiroli, S., Federico, A., Giugno, R., Sandrini, G., Chiamulera, C., & Tamburin, S. (2020) · Frontiers in Neurology · doi:10.3389/fneur.2020.00926 · Cited by 168
Providing Human Support for the Use of Digital Mental Health Interventions: Systematic Meta-review
Werntz, A., Amado, S., Jasman, M., Ervin, A., & Rhodes, J. E. (2023) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/42864 · Cited by 158
“…therapist involved (self-administered and pre-dominately self-help) Therapist involved (minimal contact therapy and therapy administrated) Li et al [66], 2014 Studies that did not offer professional guidance Studies that offered professional guidance (eg, regular supportive text messages, phone…”
Effect of Exergames on Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Li, J., Theng, Y., & Foo, S. S.-B. (2015) · Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2015.0366 · Cited by 155
“25 As a special type of digital intervention combing physical exercise, it is worthwhile and essential to identify its overall effectiveness on depression.”
Self-citationScholten, H., & Granic, I. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/11528 · Cited by 138
“Although much less work has been done with serious games for mental health as compared to other conditions, several game-based interventions have been developed [62-65].”
Carlier, S., der Paelt, S. V., Ongenae, F., Backere, F. D., & Turck, F. D. (2020) · Sensors · doi:10.3390/s20040966 · Cited by 130
“Serious games are increasingly used for mental health care treatment: serious games exist for the treatment of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, ASD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cognitive functioning and alcohol use disorder [16,20].”
BackgroundZink, J., Belcher, B. R., Imm, K., & Leventhal, A. M. (2020) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-020-08572-1 · Cited by 105
Poppelaars, M., Tak, Y. R., Lichtwarck‐Aschoff, A., Engels, R. C. M. E., Lobel, A., Merry, S., Lucassen, M. F. G., & Granic, I. (2016) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2016.03.005 · Cited by 114
Gamification and serious games in depression care: A systematic mapping study
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“Following previous meta-analyses comparing intervention effects on depressive symptoms [26,37,41], the effectiveness of mental health apps was assessed using one outcome: difference in depressive symptoms between intervention and control groups at posttreatment.”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialPark, D. Y., & Kim, H. (2023) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su15010872 · Cited by 132
Virtual reality in medicine: a brief overview and future research directions
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Therapeutic use of serious games in mental health: scoping review
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“In one of the first systematic reviews of game-based digital interventions for depression, published in 2014, nineteen research projects were subjected to a thorough analysis [42].”
BackgroundDeveloping Digital Intervention Games for Mental Disorders: A Review
Shah, A., Kraemer, K. R., Won, C. R., Black, S., & Hasenbein, W. (2018) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2017.0150 · Cited by 74
“44 48 ‘‘Rainbow SPARX’’ is a variant designed for diverse sexual orientations.”
Older Adults’ Digital Gameplay
Kaufman, D. M., Sauvé, L., Rénaud, L., Sixsmith, A. J., & Mortenson, W. B. (2016) · Simulation & Gaming · doi:10.1177/1046878116645736 · Cited by 83
“Playing digital games can promote positive health outcomes associated with alleviating depression, feelings of loneliness, and isolation (Kahlbaugh, Sperandio, Carlson, & Hauselt, 2011; Li, Theng, & Foo, 2014; Wollersheim et al., 2010).”
BackgroundThe Effectiveness of Serious Games in Alleviating Anxiety: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Abd-Alrazaq, A. A., Alajlani, M., Alhuwail, D., Schneider, J., Akhu‐Zaheya, L., Ahmed, A., & Househ, M. S. (2021) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/29137 · Cited by 82
Toward Game-Based Digital Mental Health Interventions: Player Habits and Preferences
Mandryk, R. L., & Birk, M. V. (2017) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.6906 · Cited by 69
“A recent meta-analysis of game-based interventions for depression suggests a moderate effect size of game interventions at posttreatment [62].”
Digital mental health interventions for depression
Himle, J. A., Weaver, A., Zhang, A., & Xiang, X. (2022) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2020.12.009 · Cited by 65
“Overall, clinically significant depressive symptoms are more prevalent among women than men, among older individuals than young people, and among rural populations than those who reside in urban areas (Lim et al., 2018).”
BackgroundDyadic Psychosocial eHealth Interventions: Systematic Scoping Review
Shaffer, K. M., Tigershtrom, A., Badr, H., Benvengo, S., Hernandez, M., & Ritterband, L. M. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/15509 · Cited by 63
“There have been many reviews demonstrating the efficacy and acceptability of eHealth interventions among diverse populations of patients (eg, [42-55]) and support persons (eg, [56-68]).”
BackgroundExploring Interaction Fidelity in Virtual Reality
Rogers, K., Funke, J. F., Frommel, J., Stamm, S., & Weber, M. (2019) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3290605.3300644 · Cited by 63
“, enjoyment, engagement, immersion, challenge or relaxation [13, 16, 25, 52].”
Could Virtual Reality play a role in the rehabilitation after COVID-19 infection?
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“16 In addition, VR has demonstrated success in the application of exposure therapy — a modality in which participants are virtually confronted with their fears to decrease anxiety or PTSD. 17 18 High physical and psychological stressors during ICU admissions routinely result in cognitive…”
Kuosmanen, T., Fleming, T. M., Newell, J., & Barry, M. M. (2017) · Internet Interventions · doi:10.1016/j.invent.2017.03.004 · Cited by 56
“…for serious purposes” [Fleming et al., 2014, p. 1]) for improving mental health and wellbeing is still limited (Lau et al., 2017; Johnson et al., 2016), gaming interventions have shown promising results in the area of depression prevention and treatment (Fleming et al., 2014; Li et al., 2014).”
BackgroundBoucher, E. M., McNaughton, E. C., Harake, N., Stafford, J. L., & Parks, A. C. (2021) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/26617 · Cited by 61
“Although a number of digital mental health interventions have been developed [33,40-42], digital loneliness interventions are in their infancy, and most of the studies testing these interventions are small pilot or feasibility studies published in the past 1-2 years [43-46].”
BackgroundThe Effectiveness of Serious Games for Alleviating Depression: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Abd-Alrazaq, A., Al-Jafar, E., Alajlani, M., Toro, C., Alhuwail, D., Ahmed, A., Reagu, S. M., Al-Shorbaji, N., & Househ, M. (2022) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/32331 · Cited by 68
“None of the previous reviews [18,19,35-37] assessed the effect of computerized CBT games on depression.”
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Martínez, K., Menéndez, I. M., & Bustillo, A. (2021) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/30482 · Cited by 54
“Serious games have been proposed since the late 1990s for depression therapy, as the review of Li and Foo [8] outlined.”
BackgroundReynolds, J., Griffiths, K. M., Cunningham, J. A., Bennett, K., & Bennett, A. (2015) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/mental.4200 · Cited by 55
“Other applications include peer-to-peer support [19], game-based interventions [20], mobile apps [21], online chat [22], and video-conferenced therapy [23].”
Framing Mental Health Within Digital Games: An Exploratory Case Study of Hellblade
Fordham, J., & Ball, C. (2019) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/12432 · Cited by 65
“Digital games and game design practices have been applied to fitness [1], job training [2], education [3], and even therapeutic practices [4].”
BackgroundFeasibility of a Virtual Reality-Based Psychoeducational Tool (VRight) for Depressive Patients
Migoya-Borja, M., Delgado‐Gómez, D., Carmona, R., Porras‐Segovia, A., López-Moríñigo, J.-D., Sanchez-Alonso, M., Albarracín-García, L., Guerra, N., Barrigón, M. L., Alegria, M. M., et al. (2020) · Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2019.0497 · Cited by 54
A Gamified Smartphone-Based Intervention for Depression: Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial
Lukas, C. A., Eskofier, B., & Berking, M. (2021) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/16643 · Cited by 49
Digital cognitive behavior therapy intervention for depression and anxiety: retrospective study
Venkatesan, A., Rahimi, L., Kaur, M., & Mosunic, C. (2020) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/21304 · Cited by 47
“Li et al [10] observed a similar pattern: a larger effect size for game-based interventions for the treatment of depression that did not include therapist support than for therapist-supported interventions.”
BackgroundPsychedelics and virtual reality: parallels and applications
Aday, J. S., Davoli, C. C., & Bloesch, E. K. (2020) · Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/2045125320948356 · Cited by 47
“Li and colleagues reviewed the research on VR therapy for depression and found an average Cohen’s d of 0.67, 59 but this average was derived from just two studies.”
BackgroundInfluentialFerrari, M., Sabetti, J., McIlwaine, S. V., Fazeli, S., Sadati, S. M. H., Shah, J. L., Archie, S., Boydell, K., Lal, S., Henderson, J. L., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2022.814248 · Cited by 56
Acceptance of Serious Games in Psychotherapy: An Inquiry into the Stance of Therapists and Patients
Eichenberg, C., Grabmayer, G., & Green, N. (2016) · Telemedicine and e-Health · doi:10.1089/tmj.2016.0001 · Cited by 38
“13,17 More-over, there is currently a gap in research surrounding the acceptance and readiness of serious games as e-mental health applications.”
Watanabe, K., Kawakami, N., Imamura, K., Inoue, A., Shimazu, A., Yoshikawa, T., Hiro, H., Asai, Y., Odagiri, Y., Yoshikawa, E., et al. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11176-2 · Cited by 41
Acute Effect of Exergames on Children's Mood States During Physical Education Classes
Andrade, A., Correia, C. K., da Cruz, W. M., & Bevilacqua, G. G. (2019) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2018.0083 · Cited by 41
“21,22 In this context, studies involving a few sessions have already identified positive effects on mental health, such as maintenance of happiness 23 and improvement of mood states.”
Soares, A. K. S., Goedert, M. C. F., & Vargas, A. F. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.802653 · Cited by 42
The neuroscience and context of adolescent depression
Henje, E., Ho, T. C., Connolly, C. G., LeWinn, K. Z., Sacchet, M. D., Tymofiyeva, O., Weng, H. Y., & Yang, T. T. (2015) · Acta Paediatrica · doi:10.1111/apa.13299 · Cited by 47
“These treatments include attachment-based family therapy (70), interpersonal psychotherapy (71), acceptance commitment therapy (72), thinking about reward in young people (16), game-based digital interventions (73) and Internet and computer-based therapy (74).”
BackgroundKim, Y., Hong, S., & Choi, M. (2022) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/37753 · Cited by 37
“In addition, the effect size of our findings was larger than that of studies targeting the general population [44,74].”
Biagianti, B., Foti, G., Liberto, A. D., Bressi, C., & Brambilla, P. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.01.057 · Cited by 44
Play and playfulness in psychiatry: a selective review
Berger, P., Bitsch, F., Bröhl, H., & Falkenberg, I. (2017) · International Journal of Play · doi:10.1080/21594937.2017.1383341 · Cited by 40
Effects of virtual reality-based intervention on depression in stroke patients: a meta-analysis
Liu, H., Cheng, Z., Wang, S., Jia, Y., & Li, C. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-31477-z · Cited by 37
White, B. K., Martin, A., & White, J. A. (2022) · The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific · doi:10.1016/j.lanwpc.2022.100528 · Cited by 34
The Gang’s All Here: How People Used Games to cope with COVID19 Quarantine
Kleinman, E., Chojnacki, S., & El‐Nasr, M. S. (2021) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3411764.3445072 · Cited by 40
“This promise of games as a way to moderate one’s mental health has led to the exploration of their use as tools for therapy, treatment, and interventions [8, 13, 36, 37, 49].”
BackgroundMethodHatta, M. H., Sidi, H., Sharip, S., Das, S., & Saini, S. M. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19042390 · Cited by 30
“In other studies by Li et al., 2014 [66] and Fleming et al., 2017 [67], some participants suggested gamification strategies, which have shown promise in improving engagement with a digital platform interaction between users and providers.”
BackgroundFerrari, M., McIlwaine, S. V., Reynolds, J., Archie, S., Boydell, K., Lal, S., Shah, J. L., Henderson, J. L., Álvarez‐Jiménez, M., Andersson, N., et al. (2020) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/13834 · Cited by 32
“Moreover, evidence suggests that games can be effectively used as therapeutic tools to support recovery from anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other disorders [36-42].”
Townsend, C. D., Humpston, C. S., Rogers, J. C., Goodyear, V. A., Lavis, A., & Michail, M. (2022) · BJPsych Open · doi:10.1192/bjo.2021.1078 · Cited by 28
Hazel, J., Kim, A. H. M., & Every‐Palmer, S. (2022) · Australasian Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/10398562221103081 · Cited by 28
Kaup, K., Vasser, M., Tulver, K., Munk, M., Pikamäe, J., & Aru, J. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1088896 · Cited by 31
What can virtual reality offer to stroke patients? A narrative review of the literature
Szczepańska-Gieracha, J., Cieślik, B., Rutkowski, S., Kiper, P., & Turolla, A. (2020) · NeuroRehabilitation · doi:10.3233/nre-203209 · Cited by 26
“…2005),10studiesreferredtoVRgames(Collado-Mateoetal.,2018;Dunnetal.,2017;Garrettet al.,2014;Lietal.,2014;Malloy&Milling,2010; Morris et al., 2009; Scapin et al., 2018; Teo et al., 2016; V¨alim¨aki et al., 2014; Wang & Reid, 2011), and 13…”
Boucher, E. M., Ward, H. E., Miles, C. J., Vlisides‐Henry, R. D., & Stoeckl, S. E. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/54282 · Cited by 29
Kim, S. M., Kim, H., Hwang, H., Hong, J. S., Bae, S., Min, K. J., & Han, D. H. (2018) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2017.0183 · Cited by 25
“15 In their review and meta-analysis, Li et al. 15 divided gamified interventions for depression into four categories.”
Gamification in Healthcare: Perspectives of Mental Health Service Users and Health Professionals
Hopia, H., & Raitio, K. (2016) · Issues in Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1080/01612840.2016.1233595 · Cited by 26
“In one of the few systematic reviews available, Li, Theng, and Foo (2014) found that game-based digital interventions were beneficial for people who suffer from depression.”
BackgroundVideo games as rich environments to foster brain plasticity
Nahum, M., & Bavelier, D. (2020) · Handbook of clinical neurology · doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-63934-9.00010-x · Cited by 26
Emezue, C., & Bloom, T. (2021) · Campbell Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/cl2.1132 · Cited by 29
Ginsberg, K. H., Babbott, K. M., & Serlachius, A. S. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/62761 · Cited by 24
“Their use in behavioral change and mental health interventions are common; such interventions are increasingly used as both an adjunct to face-to-face care and as standalone interventions [1-4].”
Engdahl, P., Svedberg, P., Lexén, A., & Bejerholm, U. (2020) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/15625 · Cited by 24
“The use of gamification has shown promising results in research that used goal setting theory to increase engagement [63-67].”
AI-Based Prediction and Prevention of Psychological and Behavioral Changes in Ex-COVID-19 Patients
Ćosić, K., Popović, S., Šarlija, M., Kesedžić, I., Gambiraža, M., Dropuljić, B., Mijić, I., Henigsberg, N., & Jovanović, T. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.782866 · Cited by 27
Wu, Q., Luo, T., Tang, J., Wang, Y., Wu, Z., Liu, Y., Chen, W., Deng, Q., & Liao, Y. (2022) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-022-00792-3 · Cited by 20
“According to some previous studies in China, the prevalence of anxiety ranged from 22.0 to 36.4% (Ahmed et al., 2020; Li et al., 2014; Ni et al., 2020; Ran et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020a, b), the prevalence of depression ranged from 19.2 to 47.1% (Ahmed et al., 2020; Li et al., 2014; Ni et al.,…”
ResultInfluentialGames for the Assessment and Treatment of Mental Health
Mandryk, R. L., Birk, M. V., Lobel, A., van Rooij, M. M. J. W., Granic, I., & Abeele, V. V. (2017) · Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play · doi:10.1145/3130859.3131445 · Cited by 20
“The community for research on video games for assessment and intervention for mental health spans multiple disciplines, from cognitive sciences, computer science, and interaction design, to psychology, neurobiology, and medicine [24].”
Smartphone-based serious games for mental health: a scoping review
Gómez-Cambronero, Á., Mann, A.-L., Mira, A., Doherty, G. J., & Casteleyn, S. (2024) · Multimedia Tools and Applications · doi:10.1007/s11042-024-18971-w · Cited by 20
“Existing reviews [30, 32, 34–42] reveal a clear interest in the use of video games for mental health purposes.”
Vugts, M. A. P., Zedlitz, A. M. E. E., Joosen, M. C. W., & Vrijhoef, H. J. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/14766 · Cited by 21
“Randomized controlled trials with stand-alone serious gaming interventions have been reported [5,6].”
Wols, A., Pingel, M., Lichtwarck‐Aschoff, A., & Granic, I. (2024) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102396 · Cited by 28
Digital Games and Well-Being: An Overview
Reer, F., & Quandt, T. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-32770-5_1 · Cited by 19
Entertain Me Well: An Entertaining, Tailorable, Online Platform Delivering CBT for Depression
Weaver, A., Zhang, A., Xiang, X., Felsman, P., Fischer, D., & Himle, J. A. (2021) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2021.09.003 · Cited by 17
“…associated impacts, with recent literature suggesting that about one-third of U.S. residents have experienced depression during the pandemic, which may be due in part to increased social isolation, grief and loss, and financial distress (Czeisler et al., 2020; Luo et al., 2020; Salari et al., 2020).”
BackgroundGuala, M. M., Bul, K., Skårderud, F., & Nielsen, A. S. (2022) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/40594 · Cited by 17
“SGs have gained acknowledgment in the fields of health and mental health treatment [20-24], probably because of factors such as play, which is inherently fun.”
BackgroundElgán, T. H., Kartengren, N., Strandberg, A. K., Ingemarson, M., Hansson, H., Zetterlind, U., & Gripenberg, J. (2016) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3691-8 · Cited by 18
“However, although the number of web-based interventions targeting children or adolescents is increasing [34–40], the number of interventions aimed at children whose parents have substance use problems or mental illness is still scarce [13, 41–43].”
Yokomitsu, K., Irie, T., Sekiguchi, M., Shimizu, A., Matsuoka, H., Merry, S., & Stasiak, K. (2020) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/15164 · Cited by 16
“SPARX is a game-based intervention that was developed to deliver CBT for adolescents with depressive symptoms [22,27].”
InfluentialTherapeutic Interventions with Videogames in Treatments for Depression: A Systematic Review
Gliosci, R., & Silva, T. B. P. E. (2023) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2022.0094 · Cited by 16
“Comparison of our data with data from older reviews 44 showed that there has not been substantial advance around scientific research with videogames in treatments for depression in the last 5 years, most notably considering the significant popularization of the videogame industry in the same period.”
Results from a pilot study of a computer‐based role‐playing game for young people with psychosis
Olivet, J., Haselden, M., Piscitelli, S., Kenney, R. R., Shulman, A., Medoff, D. R., & Dixon, L. B. (2018) · Early Intervention in Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/eip.12556 · Cited by 18
“Previous research has shown that it is feasible to translate traditional evidence-based practices into computer games (Fleming et al., 2016) with most work focused on depression (Fleming et al., 2016; Li, Theng, & Foo, 2014).”
BackgroundEffects of game-based digital interventions for mental disorders: A meta-analysis
Zhan, J., Liu, C., Wang, Z., Cai, Z., & He, J. (2024) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2024.07.095 · Cited by 15
Examining the impact of game interventions on depression among older adults
Li, J. (2014) · Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play · doi:10.1145/2658537.2659009 · Cited by 15
“According to my previous systematic review [5], only 2 studies were conducted on examining the effects of game interventions for Physical Cognitive TAU Digital Wii blowing Wii Chess Treat as usual Nondigital Real blowing Board game”
BackgroundMethodSelf-citationConsiderations for Designing Context-Aware Mobile Apps for Mental Health Interventions
Miralles, I., & Granell, C. (2019) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph16071197 · Cited by 18
“Indeed, applications of online and offline video games for mental health therapies have been extensively reviewed [47,54], suggesting that different genres of existing video games could yield great benefits in mental health interventions.”
BackgroundThorens, G., Billieux, J., Mégevand, P., ZULLINO, D. F., Rothen, S., Achab, S., & Khazaal, Y. (2016) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00167 · Cited by 16
Share the Experience, Don’t Take it: Toward Attunement With Neurodiversity in Videogames
Meinen, L. (2023) · Games and Culture · doi:10.1177/15554120221149538 · Cited by 18
“However, especially in the fi eld of psychology, there is an increasing interest in the functional uses of speci fi c pre-existing videogames and casual gaming in general (Fish et al., 2014; Li et al., 2014).”
BackgroundYilma, B. A., Kim, C. M., Cupchik, G. C., & Leiva, L. A. (2024) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3613904.3642636 · Cited by 15
“Overall, these interventions include guided meditation in natural settings using VR which could reduce pain and stress [62], and gam-ified cognitive behavioral therapies for reducing depression [45].”
BackgroundKhan, S., & Peña, J. (2017) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.024 · Cited by 14
Six Tips on How to Bring Epic Wins to Health Care
Sort, A., & Khazaal, Y. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00264 · Cited by 13
Vugts, M. A. P., Joosen, M. C. W., Mert, A., Zedlitz, A. M. E. E., & Vrijhoef, H. J. (2018) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.9739 · Cited by 13
“care and rehabilitation, gaming, motion capturing, and virtual reality technologies potentially support the treatment of various well-known conditions such as depression, anxiety, phobias, poststroke, and acute pain [38-42].”
Maximizing the impact of E-Therapy and Serious Gaming: Time for a paradigm shift
Fleming, T. M., Beurs, D. P. D., Khazaal, Y., Gaggioli, A., Riva, G., Botella, C., Baños, R., Aschieri, F., Bavin, L. M., Kleiboer, A. M., et al. (2020) · Open Access Victoria University of Wellington | Te Herenga Waka (Figshare) · doi:10.26686/wgtn.12331280 · Cited by 14
Orr, L. C., Graham, A. K., Mohr, D. C., & Greene, C. J. (2020) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/16341 · Cited by 11
“Although telehealth and web-based interventions have demonstrated efficacy for addressing depression among older adults [9,10], important barriers remain to engaging older adults in technology-based interventions.”
BackgroundIntroducing Gamification for Advancing Current Mental Healthcare and Treatment Practices
Sinha, N. (2021) · Studies in computational intelligence · doi:10.1007/978-981-15-9897-5_11 · Cited by 14
Serious game based therapeutic: Towards therapeutic game design model for adolescence
Yusof, N., & Rias, R. M. (2014) · IEEE Conference on e-Learning, e-Management and e-Services (IC3e) · doi:10.1109/ic3e.2014.7081239 · Cited by 11
“Cognitive experiments can be conducted using depression inventory such as Beck Depression Inventory [53] or Child Depression inventory, which are also suitable for use on adolescents [54].”
MethodDepression Prevention by Mutual Empathy Training: Using Virtual Reality as a Tool
Li, Y. J., & Luo, H. (2021) · IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW) · doi:10.1109/vrw52623.2021.00017 · Cited by 11
“Game-based solutions can be beneficial in improving depression and bonding families and release stress by having entertainment activities together [7,18,21].”
BackgroundKellett, S., Easton, K., Cooper, M., Millings, A., Simmonds‐Buckley, M., & Parry, G. D. (2020) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/19888 · Cited by 10
“The gamification of electronic mental health offers promise in the design of innovative delivery platforms to children and young people [55].”
Cognitive rehabilitation in bipolar spectrum disorder: A systematic review
Razavi, M. S., Fathi, M., Vahednia, E., Ardanı, A. R., Honari, S., Akbarzadeh, F., & Talaeı, A. (2024) · IBRO Neuroscience Reports · doi:10.1016/j.ibneur.2024.04.001 · Cited by 12
“The literature on the application of CR in psychiatry mainly focuses on schizophrenia and related disorders (Wykes and Spaulding, 2011; Li et al., 2014).”
BackgroundGuided Internet-Delivered Treatment for Depression: Scoping Review
Børtveit, L., Dechsling, A., Sütterlin, S., Nordgreen, T., & Nordahl‐Hansen, A. (2022) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/37342 · Cited by 11
“A total of 28 published systematic reviews on internet-delivered t r e a t m e n t ( M u l t i m e d i a A p p e n d i x 3 [10,11,14-16,20,27,29,30,51-69]) were hand searched by LB for relevant studies not identified in the literature search.”
MethodCatHill: Emotion-Based Interactive Storytelling Game as a Digital Mental Health Intervention
Cai, J., Li, X., Chen, B., Wang, Z., & Jia, J. (2023) · CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA) · doi:10.1145/3544549.3585639 · Cited by 12
“Serious games and gamification are such innovative and engaging methods that are increasingly used in applied health interventions, with a growing body of research identifying their value [7, 14, 35, 52, 57].”
BackgroundTechnology-Assisted, Group-Based CBT for Rural Adults’ Depression: Open Pilot Trial Results
Weaver, A., Zhang, A., Landry, C., Hahn, J., McQuown, L., O’Donnell, L. A., Harrington, M. M., Buys, T., Tucker, K. M., Pfeiffer, P., et al. (2021) · Research on Social Work Practice · doi:10.1177/10497315211044835 · Cited by 11
Alwuqaysi, B., Abdul‐Rahman, A., & Borgo, R. (2024) · Computers in Human Behavior Reports · doi:10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100513 · Cited by 9
Metadata
- Authors
- Li, J., Theng, Y.-L., & Foo, S.
- Affiliations
- Nanyang Technological University (SG)
- Venue
- Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2014-08
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 519-527
- ISSN
- 2152-2715 (ISSN-L)
- 2152-2723
- PMC
- PMC4118698
- OpenAlex
- W2038850367
- Semantic Scholar
- cdab373a2cce9c19b13fd81580be783b474046c0
- Cited by
- 219
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 1.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DR-NTU (Nanyang Technological University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Research Foundation
- National Research Foundation Singapore
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- depression treatment, serious games, virtual reality exposure therapy, psychoeducation, exercise intervention, self-help intervention, waitlist control, treatment effectiveness
- MeSH terms
- Depression, Female, Game Theory, Humans
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