Editorial: Computers and Games for Mental Health and Well-Being

Khazaal, Yasser; Favrod, Jérôme; Sort, Anna; Borgeat, François; Bouchard, Stéphane

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00141

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This paper focuses on Pesky gNATs, a computer game designed to support the delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for young people experiencing low mood or anxiety [16]. Pesky gNATs is located among a growing body of research on the use of serious games in mental health [17-19]. Other examples include SPARX [20], Rainbow SPARX [21], The Feel Good Island [22], Op Volle Kracht [23], Personal Investigator [24], Ricky the Spider [25], Treasure Hunt [26], and The Journey [27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Computer Games to Support Mental Health Interventions: Naturalistic Deployment Study

Meulen¹,

McCashin²,

O’Reilly³

et al. 2019

JMIR Ment Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundRecent research has highlighted naturalistic uptake as a key barrier to maximizing the impact of mental health technologies. Although there is increasing evidence regarding the efficacy of digital interventions for mental health, as demonstrated through randomized controlled trials, there is also evidence that technologies do not succeed as expected when deployed in real-world settings.ObjectiveThis paper describes the naturalistic deployment of Pesky gNATs, a computer game designed to support cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for children experiencing anxiety or low mood. The objective of this deployment study was to identify how therapists use Pesky gNATs in real-world settings and to discover positive and negative factors. On the basis of this, we aimed to derive generalizable recommendations for the development of mental health technologies that can have greater impact in real-world settings.MethodsPesky gNATs has been made available through a not-for-profit organization. After 18 months of use, we collected usage and user experience data from therapists who used the game. Data were collected through an online survey and semistructured interviews addressing the expectations and experiences of both therapists and young people. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes in the interview and survey data.ResultsA total of 21 therapists, who used Pesky gNATs with 95 young people, completed the online survey. Furthermore, 5 therapists participated in the follow-up interview. Confirming previous assessments, data suggest that the game can be helpful in delivering therapy and that young people generally liked the approach. Therapists shared diverse opinions regarding the young people for whom they deemed the game appropriate. The following 3 themes were identified: (1) stages of use, (2) impact on the delivery of therapy, and (3) customization. We discuss therapists’ reflections on the game with regard to their work practices and consider the question of customization, including the delicate balance of adaptable interaction versus the need for fidelity to a therapeutic model.ConclusionsThis study provides further evidence that therapeutic games can support the delivery of CBT for young people in real-world settings. It also shows that deployment studies can provide a valuable means of understanding how technologies integrate with the overall mental health ecosystem and become a part of therapists' toolbox. Variability in use should be expected in real-world settings. Effective training, support for therapist autonomy, careful consideration of different approaches to customization, the reporting of deployment data, and support for communities of practice can play an important role in supporting variable, but effective, use.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Computer Games to Support Mental Health Interventions: Naturalistic Deployment Study

Meulen¹,

McCashin²,

O’Reilly³

et al. 2019

JMIR Ment Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The efficacy of each of the various engagement modalities has been supported in previous literature. Several studies, for example, bolster the potential of gaming to augment cognitive capacity in both children and adults with schizophrenia 34 . Chatbots and voice agents have become increasingly empathetic and are for some users are able to offer some of the benefits of peer support from a small handheld device 35 .…”

Section: A Pyramid Process: Components Of the Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Actionable health app evaluation: translating expert frameworks into objective metrics

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As use and availability of mobile health apps have increased, so too has the need for a thorough, accessible framework for app evaluation. The American Psychiatric Association’s app evaluation model has emerged as a way to critically assess an app by considering accessibility, privacy and security, clinical foundation, engagement, and interoperability; however, there is no centralized database where users can view how various health apps perform when assessed via the APA model. In this perspective, we propose and outline our effort to translate the APA’s model for the evaluation of health apps into a set of objective metrics that can be published online, making the framework actionable and accessible to a broad audience. The questions from the APA model were operationalized into 105 objective questions that are either binary or numeric. These questions serve as the foundation of an online database, where app evaluation consists of answering these 105 questions and can be crowdsourced. While the database has yet to be published and crowdsourced, initial internal testing demonstrated excellent interrater reliability. The database proposed here introduces a public and interactive approach to data collection that is guided by the APA model. The published product enables users to sort through the many mobile health apps and filter them according to individual preferences and priorities, making the ever-growing health app market more navigable.

show abstract

“…The interactive book for children proposed in this project is a solution that can improve the learning process for children with mental disabilities, at the same time using technology and interactive media as a tool for improving the learning experiences [7].…”

Section: Interactive Book Solutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The designed adaptive interactive book combines traditional learning and digital learning process with tactile and virtual experiences. This adaptive interactive designed book utilizes all available resource such as: audio, texture, images, colour and technology such as virtual reality (Vr), augmented reality (Ar) and mixed reality (Mr) in order to offer a wide range of interaction in which children can learn in an amusing and interactive way[7].The chosen theme of the book was space exploration. The reasons for this choice are the fact that this theme fits better for the interactive solution; it is a very interesting theme; it provides opportunity to use and the entire range of interactive resources for the project.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing an Interactive Technological Book for Children with Mental Disabilities

Aguilera

2020

KSS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Graphic design works as a medium between human beings and technology, and can be transformed according to human needs. Graphic design has a potential for developing adaptive educational material for children with mental disabilities. At the same time, graphic design can be integrative with innovative digital technology in order to modernize education process in our digital era. This article describes an attempt to develop a graphic design project aimed at the creation of an innovative solution for schools for children with special need. By combining graphic design and technology, it was possible to create an interactive book that could help children and teenagers with mental disabilities in their learning processes and improve their quality of life. The experiment took place in one of the specialized schools in Yekaterinburg (Russia). The proposed project factored teachers’ opinions (obtained through teachers’ interviews) into the development process, and was subsequently tested in the classroom. Keywords: graphic design, mixed reality, education, children, digital learning, special needs, mental disability, interactive book

show abstract

Editorial: Computers and Games for Mental Health and Well-Being

Cited by 19 publications

References 22 publications

Using Computer Games to Support Mental Health Interventions: Naturalistic Deployment Study

Using Computer Games to Support Mental Health Interventions: Naturalistic Deployment Study

Actionable health app evaluation: translating expert frameworks into objective metrics

Designing an Interactive Technological Book for Children with Mental Disabilities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About