Deriving design implications for serious videogame for psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Interviewing mental health professionals and patients with a history of psychosis to derive design implications for a serious video game in order to support self-management.
IRAS ID
232655
Contact name
Sonia Johnson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2017/12/29 , UCL Data Protection Registration Number
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 30 days
Research summary
Research suggests that self-management interventions for psychosis have a promising effect on overall symptoms. Evidence from more than 40 randomized controlled studies suggests that illness management strategies can effectively enhance people’s knowledge of their illness, help them take their medications, mitigate the severity and distress associated with persistent symptoms, and reduce symptomatic relapse and hospitalizations. However, despite given effectiveness, other evidence suggests that engagement with self-help interventions for people with psychosis is relatively poor.
Current research from common mental health and chronic physical conditions suggests the underlying potential of serious videogames or games that have been specifically designed for health benefits. These games still contain their “fun” element however the object is not only to entertain but to engage in a particular behaviour.
At the moment, there are no serious videogames for psychosis self-management. Therefore, we would like to address this gap in the literature. Existing game design guidelines emphasize the importance of collaboration with end users clients (patients) and clinicians in order to get to know the end-users and their needs.
This study has two aims: first, is to conduct qualitative semi-structured interviews with psychiatric inpatients and community patients who experience psychosis. We would like to address the following objectives: (a) to learn what aspects of self-management do patients struggle with, (b) how these aspects can be integrated in a serious videogame, (c) to learn about patient’s experience with playing computer and video games.
Second, is to conduct qualitative semi-structured interviews with the mental health clinicians/workers. We would like to address the following objectives: (a) to learn how acceptable are clinicians of the serious videogame as a self-management tool for psychosis, (b) what attributes of the game would clinicians like to see/not to see in a serious videogame, (c) to understand clinicians’ views on how this serious videogame can be implemented successfully within existing practice.
This study will inform a future design of serious videogame that has a potential to positively impact problems of engagement with self-management in people with psychosis.
This research is being carried out as part of a doctoral research (PhD).
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SC/0173
Date of REC Opinion
4 Apr 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion