SynthesisFrontiers in psychiatry2020
Therapeutic and Preventive Use of Video Games in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 131 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of artificial intelligence in child and adolescent interventions: from psychotherapy to developmental support.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Features and effects of computer-based games on cognitive impairments in children with autism spectrum disorder: an evidence-based systematic literature review.BMC psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Game-based digital therapeutics for children and adolescents: Their therapeutic effects on mental health problems, the sustainability of the therapeutic effects and the transfer of cognitive functions.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Application of Serious Games in Health Care: Scoping Review and Bibliometric Analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Serious Video Games: Angels or Demons in Patients With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? A Quasi-Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Roblox Video Game (Super U Story) in Improving Body Image Among Children and Adolescents in the United States: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Game-Based Social-Emotional Learning for Youth: School-Based Qualitative Analysis ofJMIR formative research · 2025Trial
- Online gaming for autistic youth: Exploring the impact on participation from the perspectives of autistic adolescents and their caregivers.Australian occupational therapy journal · 2026Article
- Rock-paper-scissors-OK game for neurological examination in pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures: A prospective randomized controlled trial.Journal of children's orthopaedics · 2026Article
- Research Design Processes in Serious Games for Adolescent Mental Health: Systematic Review.JMIR serious games · 2026Review
- Gaming‑Based Community Intervention for Loneliness in Adult Gamers: Longitudinal Observational Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Observational
- Exploring the Frontiers of Technology in Forensic Psychiatric Youth Care: Ethical Challenges.Research on child and adolescent psychopathology · 2025Review
- The Positive Effect of Video-Game Play on College Students' Anxiety and Depression Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic Shelter-in-Place Lockdowns: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR serious games · 2025Article
- A scoping review of digital interventions for the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental health conditions for young people.Oxford open digital health · 2025Review
- Technology-enhanced practice competencies: scoping review and novel model development.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Review
- Effects of Electronic Serious Games on Older Adults With Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.JMIR serious games · 2024Review
- Effects of a Serious Game for Adolescent Mental Health on Cognitive Vulnerability: Pilot Usability Study.JMIR serious games · 2024Article
- Therapeutic Uses of Gaming in Mental Health: An Untapped Potential.JMIR serious games · 2024Article
- Article
- Social intelligence and pathological gaming: a longitudinal study of the associations among negative emotions, social intelligence, aggression, and pathological gaming in adolescents.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOver the past decade, the use of commercial video games and serious games has developed in child and adolescent psychiatry. These games may become relevant alternatives or adjuncts to traditional psychotherapy, providing that their effectiveness is properly established. The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate the effectiveness of serious games and commercial video games in the treatment or prevention of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents.
methodsMedline's database was used to search articles published between January 2012 and July 2019. The following keywords were used for this search: "Video games" OR "Active video game" OR "serious gaming" OR "Serious game" OR "Exergame" AND "Child mental disorder" OR "Adolescent" OR "Child" AND "Therapy" OR "Prevention". Only comparative studies which targeted interventions on children and adolescents suffering from psychiatric disorders were included.
resultsTwenty-two studies, focusing on a wide range of psychiatric conditions, met our inclusion criteria's: 14 evaluated serious games and 8 commercial games. All studies were randomized controlled trials but only two studies compared the intervention game to psychotherapeutic gold standard; other studies used a no-intervention control group or an alternative game as the control group. Eighteen studies reported significant improvements on the symptoms and test scores targeted.
conclusionSerious games and commercially available video games can be an effective trajectory for psychotherapy in child and adolescent psychiatry. However, there is a lack of longitudinal studies which assess the sustained effects of these games, and standards for proper evaluation of their effectiveness are missing.
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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.