ArticleJMIR serious games2023
A Video Game Intervention to Prevent Opioid Misuse Among Older Adolescents: Development and Preimplementation Study.
Article in JMIR serious games, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Digital Behavioral Health Game for Adolescent Mental Health: A Prespecified Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Trial
- Digital Interventions to Facilitate Screening, Brief Interventions, and Referral to Treatment for Substance Use Among Adolescents.Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America · 2026Review
- User Testing an mHealth Behavioral Health App for Hopi/Tewa Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Usability Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- A videogame for perceived risk of harm from opioid misuse in adolescents: a randomized controlled trial.Nature health · 2026Article
- Using games to identify adolescents at risk for substance misuse-a proof-of-concept study.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- OpenASO: RNA Rescue-designing splice-modulating antisense oligonucleotides through community science.RNA (New York, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- Adolescents' and Parents' Perspectives on Using the MedSMARxT Families Intervention in Emergency Departments for Opioid Medication Safety Education: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR serious games · 2025Article
- Game-Based Digital Interventions for Enhancing Positive Development and Addressing Substance Use in Adolescents: A Systematic Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Gamified Digital Mental Health Interventions for Young People: Scoping Review of Ethical Aspects During Development and Implementation.JMIR serious games · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOpioid misuse and mental disorders are highly comorbid conditions. The ongoing substance misuse and mental health crises among adolescents in the United States underscores the importance of widely scalable substance misuse preventive interventions that also address mental health risks. Serious video games offer an engaging, widely scalable method for delivering and implementing preventive interventions. However, there are no video game interventions that focus on preventing opioid misuse among older adolescents, and there are limited existing video game interventions that address mental health.
objectiveThis study aims to develop and conduct a formative evaluation of a video game intervention to prevent opioid misuse and promote mental health among adolescents aged 16-19 years (PlaySmart). We conducted formative work in preparation for a subsequent randomized controlled trial.
methodsWe conducted development and formative evaluation of PlaySmart in 3 phases (development, playtesting, and preimplementation) through individual interviews and focus groups with multiple stakeholders (adolescents: n=103; school-based health care providers: n=51; and addiction treatment providers: n=6). PlaySmart content development was informed by the health belief model, the theory of planned behavior, and social cognitive theory. User-centered design principles informed the approach to development and play testing. The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainability framework informed preimplementation activities. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes from interviews and focus groups that informed PlaySmart game content and approaches to future implementation of PlaySmart.
resultsWe developed a novel video game PlaySmart for older adolescents that addresses the risk and protective factors for opioid misuse and mental health. Nine themes emerged from the focus groups that provided information regarding game content. Playtesting revealed areas of the game that required improvement, which were modified for the final game. Preimplementation focus groups identified potential barriers and facilitators for implementing PlaySmart in school settings.
conclusionsPlaySmart offers a promising digital intervention to address the current opioid and mental health crises among adolescents in a scalable manner.
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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.