Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34132648›Full record

ArticleJMIR serious games2021

Gaming Your Mental Health: A Narrative Review on Mitigating Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Using Commercial Video Games.

Magdalena Kowal, Eoin Conroy, Niall Ramsbottom, Tim Smithies, Adam Toth, Mark Campbell

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR serious games, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
41citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

41 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Magdalena KowalLero, The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, Physical Education and Sport Sciences Department, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4768-4900
Eoin ConroyLero, The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, Physical Education and Sport Sciences Department, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8653-1272
Niall RamsbottomLero, The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, Physical Education and Sport Sciences Department, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2992-6136
Tim SmithiesLero, The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, Physical Education and Sport Sciences Department, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8026-5134
Adam TothLero, The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, Physical Education and Sport Sciences Department, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2193-0138
Mark CampbellLero, The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, Physical Education and Sport Sciences Department, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9607-7675

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Globally, depression and anxiety are the two most prevalent mental health disorders. They occur both acutely and chronically, with various symptoms commonly expressed subclinically. The treatment gap and stigma associated with such mental health disorders are common issues encountered worldwide. Given the economic and health care service burden of mental illnesses, there is a heightened demand for accessible and cost-effective methods that prevent occurrence of mental health illnesses and facilitate coping with mental health illnesses. This demand has been exacerbated post the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent increase in incidence of mental health disorders. To address these demands, a growing body of research is exploring alternative solutions to traditional mental health treatment methods. Commercial video games have been shown to impart cognitive benefits to those playing regularly (ie, attention control, cognitive flexibility, and information processing). In this paper, we specifically focus on the mental health benefits associated with playing commercial video games to address symptoms of depression and anxiety. In light of the current research, we conclude that commercial video games show great promise as inexpensive, readily accessible, internationally available, effective, and stigma-free resources for the mitigation of some mental health issues in the absence of, or in addition to, traditional therapeutic treatments.

Indexed as

accessibilityclinicalcommercial video gameshealth caremental health disordersmobile phonepandemicpsychotherapy

Identifiers

PMID34132648
PMCPMC8277305

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.