The Effectiveness of a Serious Game Targeting Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in Early Adolescents

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Interpersonal Relations
• Interventions: Device: IER AG; Device: BubbleShooter

• Registration Number: NCT04808102
• Lead Sponsor: Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences

Brief Summary

Background: Adaptive interpersonal emotion regulation (iER) is a vital tool for positive relations. During early adolescence, peer relations become increasingly important, making this age group a relevant target group for interventions promoting positive interactions with each other, yet no evidence-based intervention exists for early adolescents specifically.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to test effectiveness and feasibility of a serious game training iER skills in early adolescents by comparing outcomes with a control group playing a game without psychoeducational content in a pre- and post-test design. German- and English-speaking early adolescents (10-14 years) are eligible for participation. IER skills improvement assessed by a vignette task is the primary outcome variable and will be analysed with a chi-square test. Feasibility and acceptability and variables such as emotional competence, personal emotion regulation, gender, and sex will be assessed by questionnaires.

Discussion: This RCT will test whether playing serious game about iER strategies will result in an improvement of iER skills and whether the game is feasible and acceptable for early adolescents with the ultimate aim to implement the game in school classes and help early adolescents achieve positive peer relationships.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2021-02
• Study First Submitted: 2021-03-16
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-03-18
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-03-18
• Study First Posted: 2021-03-22
• Last Update Posted: 2021-03-22
• Study Start: 2021-04
• Primary Completion: 2021-09
• Study Completion: 2022-03

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 180

Inclusion Criteria

• Between 10 and 14 years old
• Willing and able to provide written parental consent
• Willing and able to participate in filling out pre- and post-test online questionnaires, and playing a web-based game
• Able to read and understand German or English
• Access to a device with internet (computer, mobile phone, tablet)

Exclusion Criteria

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
IER serious game	IER AG	A serious game training interpersonal emotion regulation strategies.
control game	BubbleShooter	A control puzzle game without psychoeducational content.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Interpersonal emotion regulation	The follow-up will be approximately 5 days after baseline measures.	change of iER strategies participants can think of from pre (baseline)- to post-intervention, i.e. if the percentage of participants who improve their knowledge about possible iER strategies is higher in the experimental group compared to the control group. This is done via a vignette-task.