A Johns Hopkins Children's Center investigation reviewed several studies of video games designed as mental health interventions against anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
A Johns Hopkins Children's Center study reviewed previous research on the use of video games as mental health interventions. The study indicates, in preliminary findings, that these interventions may have benefits for adolescents and children with anxiety, depression, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This report, which reviewed studies from peer-reviewed journals between 2011 and March 20, 2024, was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
“We found literature that suggests that even doubling the number of pediatric mental health providers would still not meet the need,” said Barry Bryant, a resident in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and first author of the study.
Mental health disorders and suicidal tendencies have increased among children and adolescents under 17. It is estimated that 201% of this population suffers from a mental, emotional, or behavioral developmental disorder. Certain studies indicate that the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to these trends.
In this sense, the Johns Hopkins team sought through the aforementioned study to determine whether gamified digital mental health interventions or video games designed to treat mental health conditions benefited those suffering from anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
The review identified 27 studies in the United States with the desired characteristics; in total, the studies included 2,911 participants, half of whom were boys and half girls aged between six and 17 years old.
The content of the digital mental health interventions varied, but all were designed to treat ADHD, depression, and anxiety. For example, some video games for ADHD involved racing or divided attention. Regarding depression and anxiety, some video games taught psychotherapy-oriented concepts in a game format.
The availability of video games was also diverse, ranging from online games, while others can only be used through specialized research equipment.
Although each study showed different results depending on the video game and the condition, the Johns Hopkins team managed to standardize the effect sizes using a random effects model, so that a positive result indicated when the interventions worked better than the control conditions.
In this regard, the research found that video games designed for patients with ADHD and depression provided a 0.28 effect size reduction in symptoms related to these conditions, such as improved attention span and decreased sadness. The review details that “an effect size of 0.28 is consistent with a smaller effect size, whereas in-person interventions often produce moderate (0.50) to large (0.80) effects.”.
Thus, video games designed for anxiety did not show significant benefits, barely reaching an effect size of .07, in reducing the anxiety symptoms of the participants.
The authors examined specific factors related to greater benefits, for example, the way in which video games were delivered, for example, computer interventions and those with pre-set time limits, or the participants, i.e., studies where more children and young people participated.
“While the benefits are still modest, our research shows that we have some novel tools to help improve children’s mental health, particularly for ADHD and depression, that can be relatively accessible to families,” said Dr. Joseph McGuire, author of the study.
On the other hand, the authors emphasized the differences between video games and gamified digital mental health interventions, since video games are usually played often and for several hours a day, while interventions last between 20 and 45 minutes.
