ArticleSocial science & medicine (1982)2018
Connection, meaning, and distraction: A qualitative study of video game play and mental health recovery in veterans treated for mental and/or behavioral health problems.
Article in Social science & medicine (1982), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 125 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevention and Health Promotion Interventions for Young People in the Context of Digital Well-Being: Rapid Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Mind over Matter: Testing the Efficacy of an Online Randomized Controlled Trial to Reduce Distraction from Smartphone Use.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Trial
- Structurally constrained functional connectivity reveals efficient visuomotor decision-making mechanisms in action video gamers.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Understanding the game experiences and mental health of youth: protocol for the Game-in-Action Quebec cohort study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- An Escape Game on University Students' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cocreation Study.JMIR serious games · 2024Article
- Does Academic Burnout Alleviate or Exacerbate Internet Dependence in University Students with Depression and Anxiety?Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2024Article
- No evidence that Chinese playtime mandates reduced heavy gaming in one segment of the video games industry.Nature human behaviour · 2023Article
- Putting the Gaming Experience at the Center of the Therapy-The Video Game TherapyHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The Impact of Social Media Use and Gaming on Initiation of Smokeless Tobacco Use Among Rural Male Youth.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2023Article
- Internet Use and Adolescents' Physical and Mental Health: the Mediating Role of Self-consciousness and Peer Relationships.International journal of mental health and addiction · 2023Article
- Seeking virtual support: Digital technology use in adolescent and young adults with advanced cancer.Pediatric blood & cancer · 2022Article
- Social connection and gene regulation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Divergent patterns for online and in-person interaction.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2022Article
- Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Quality of Resilience-Building Mobile Health Apps for Military, Veteran, and Public Safety Personnel Populations: Scoping Literature Review and App Evaluation.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Article
- Playing Pokemon Go: Increased Life Satisfaction Through More (Positive) Social Interactions.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2022Article
- Gaming Your Mental Health: A Narrative Review on Mitigating Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Using Commercial Video Games.JMIR serious games · 2021Article
- Community Case Study: Stack Up's Overwatch Program, an Online Suicide Prevention and Peer Support Program for Video Gamers.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Play the Pain: A Digital Strategy for Play-Oriented Research and Action.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- An Exploration of Mental Health Discussions in Live Streaming Gaming Communities.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
rationaleMental and behavioral health recovery includes concepts related not just to symptom improvement, but also to participating in activities that contribute to wellness and a meaningful life. Video game play can relieve stress and provide a way to connect, which may be especially important for military veterans.
objectiveWe examined how military veterans used video game play to further their mental and behavioral health recovery by conducting an exploratory thematic analysis of the gaming habits of 20 United States military veterans who were in treatment for mental or behavioral health problems.
methodWe conducted semi-structured interviews in 2016 and used a framework analytic approach to determine salient themes linking video gaming to mental and behavioral health recovery.
resultsVeteran participants reported that video games helped not only with managing moods and stress, but also with three areas related to other aspects of recovery: adaptive coping (e.g. distraction, control, symptom substitution); eudaimonic well-being (confidence, insight, role functioning); and socializing (participation, support, brotherhood). Meaning derived from game narratives and characters, exciting or calming gameplay, and opportunities to connect, talk, and lead others were credited as benefits of gaming. Responses often related closely to military or veteran experiences. At times, excessive use of games led to life problems or feeling addicted, but some veterans with disabilities felt the advantages of extreme play outweighed these problems.
conclusionVideo games seem to provide some veterans with a potent form of "personal medicine" that can promote recovery. Although reasons and results of gaming may vary within and among individuals, clinicians may wish to discuss video game play with their patients to help patients optimize their use of games to support recovery.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.