The Effect of Situation Puzzle Games on Nursing Students' Death Anxiety and Meaning in Life (SPGI)

China Medical University, China

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Death Anxiety

Treatments: Other: Puzzle game; Other: Manual Education

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06991621

Situation puzzle games-2025

2024-FC7 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Goal of this interventional study

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of a scenario-based puzzle educational game on death anxiety and meaning in life among nursing students. It aims to answer the following key questions:

Can the scenario-based puzzle educational game enhance nursing students' sense of meaning in life?

Can the scenario-based puzzle educational game reduce death anxiety in nursing students?

What are nursing students' experiences and perceptions of this educational game?

Study design Researchers will compare the intervention group (participating in the game) with a control group (receiving death education manuals) to evaluate the effectiveness of the game-based intervention.

Participants will:

Be recruited through campus posters

Be randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group and complete baseline questionnaires

In the control group: Receive death education manuals twice weekly for 3 weeks

In the intervention group: Participate in group sessions (5 students per group) to play the scenario-based puzzle game twice weekly for 3 weeks

Complete follow-up questionnaires and participate in qualitative interviews regarding their experiences with manual-based education or the game intervention after the 3-week intervention period

Enrollment: 70 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ months old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Third-year full-time undergraduate nursing students
• Completed clinical observation training but not yet entered clinical internship phase
• Aged ≥18 years
• Provide informed consent and voluntarily participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

• Participated in similar death education interventions within the past 3 months
• Diagnosed with severe mental or psychological disorders
• Currently on a leave of absence (academic or personal)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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70 participants in 2 patient groups

Gamified Education

Experimental group

Description:

Scenario-based puzzle game in group sessions

Treatment:

Other: Puzzle game

Manual Education

Active Comparator group

Description:

Standardized death education manual

Treatment:

Other: Manual Education