If your teenager spends all his time playing video games on his computer, you may be concerned for his mental wellness, but a bit of fantasy gaming could be just what the doctor ordered. This is according to a new study, published online in British Medical Journal, which has found that, for adolescents whose wellbeing has been affected by depression, specialised fantasy computer therapy is just as effective as face-to-face counselling with a clinician.
Created by researchers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, the novel computerised cognitive behavioural therapy SPARX is based on an interactive 3D fantasy game containing seven modules. Your teenager completes the game over a period of four to seven weeks, during which time he or she is required to restore balance in a virtual world that has become overrun by GNATS (Gloomy Negative Automatic Thoughts), by undergoing a series of challenges.
For the study, the researchers undertook a randomised controlled trial with a three-month follow-up. The study participants – which was composed of 187 teenagers aged 12 to 19 years with mild to moderate depression in 24 primary healthcare sites across New Zealand – were split into two groups. The first group completed one-to-one counselling with a trained clinician, while the other played SPARX over a four to seven week period. The researchers then assessed the teens using several commonly used mental health and quality of life scales.
The results of the study revealed that the SPARX game was just as effective as standard treatment, as it reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety by at least a third. Of the 69 participants who completed at least four homework modules in the SPARX group, 44% or 31 teenagers completely recovered, whereas only 26% (19/83) of the group assigned to standard treatment did likewise. Both of the groups reported high satisfaction with their treatments, but in the SPARX groups 76 out of the 80 participants (95%) said that the programme would appeal to other teenagers and 81% (64) would recommend it to friends.
According to the study authors, SPARX is an ‘effective resource for help seeking adolescents with depression at primary healthcare sites. Use of the programme resulted in a clinically significant reduction in depression, anxiety, and hopelessness and an improvement in quality of life.’ They added that as your teenager can play SPARX at home, the computer game-based treatment could be cost effective, increase access to treatment, and serves as a potential choice for adolescents who are hesitant to seek conventional therapy.
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