Video Game Play to Alleviate Adolescent Anxiety

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms

In brief

Adolescence is a critical period for the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders, which raises the importance of intervening early; one possibility of doing so is via digital interventions. At least two lines of research have been explored in the past years in this area. First, studies have tested the anxiolytic effects of casual video games, hypothesizing that, through the induction of flow, these games can effectively distract individuals from anxiety-related thoughts and feelings. Second, the bidirectional link between poor attentional control and higher anxiety has led to the design of novel interventions aiming to improve attentional control such as working memory training studies. Importantly, action video games, classified as a distinct gaming genre, have been shown to enhance attentional control. In this study, we aim to compare the effects of action video game play and casual game play to a no-training group, assessing their potential to alleviate anxiety when delivered entirely online. The goal of this three- arms randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the feasibility of a 6-week video game training intervention to reduce adolescent anxiety-related symptoms. We will also examine the efficacy of the proposed treatment when entirely deployed at adolescents' home.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05923944

Run by

School of Health Sciences Geneva

People needed

150

Starts

2024-06-01

Expected to finish

2026-06-01

Last updated by the study team

2025-05-23

Who can join

Age: 11 and older, up to 15. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adolescents aged 11-15 years
• High-anxious score from the 41 items SCARED-Parent version (i.e. total score equal or above 17)
• Access to a computer (at least Windows 7 or Mac OSX) at home and a reliable internet connection

You may not qualify if…

• DSM diagnoses of Bipolar, Psychosis, Autism Spectrum Disorder, present or past.
• Neurological injury (i.e. head injury)
• Currently enrolled in another cognitive training intervention

Where it is running

• University of Haifa — Haifa, Israel (enrolling)
• University of Geneva — Geneva, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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