The Effectiveness of a Serious Game Targeting Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in Early Adolescents

Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Interpersonal Relations

Treatments: Device: BubbleShooter; Device: IER AG

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04808102

DOT2021P1

Details and patient eligibility

About

Background: Adaptive interpersonal emotion regulation (iER) is a vital tool for positive relations. During early adolescence, peer relations become increasingly important, making this age group a relevant target group for interventions promoting positive interactions with each other, yet no evidence-based intervention exists for early adolescents specifically.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to test effectiveness and feasibility of a serious game training iER skills in early adolescents by comparing outcomes with a control group playing a game without psychoeducational content in a pre- and post-test design. German- and English-speaking early adolescents (10-14 years) are eligible for participation. IER skills improvement assessed by a vignette task is the primary outcome variable and will be analysed with a chi-square test. Feasibility and acceptability and variables such as emotional competence, personal emotion regulation, gender, and sex will be assessed by questionnaires.

Discussion: This RCT will test whether playing serious game about iER strategies will result in an improvement of iER skills and whether the game is feasible and acceptable for early adolescents with the ultimate aim to implement the game in school classes and help early adolescents achieve positive peer relationships.

Enrollment: 180 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 10 to 14 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Between 10 and 14 years old
• Willing and able to provide written parental consent
• Willing and able to participate in filling out pre- and post-test online questionnaires, and playing a web-based game
• Able to read and understand German or English
• Access to a device with internet (computer, mobile phone, tablet)

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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180 participants in 2 patient groups

IER serious game

Experimental group

Description:

A serious game training interpersonal emotion regulation strategies.

Treatment:

Device: IER AG

control game

Sham Comparator group

Description:

A control puzzle game without psychoeducational content.

Treatment:

Device: BubbleShooter