University of Bolton to trial video game to help reduce anxiety in young people

Healthy Mind UK collaborated with The University of Bolton (Psychology Department) to add valuable research by evaluating the impact of a mobile therapeutic game for adolescents with anxiety disorders.

The game has been developed by Steven Barnes from the University and the collaboration aims to engage children between ages 10-19 in the research.  

Steven Barnes:

“We are very keen to assess how therapeutic games may be valuable for at-risk groups and the study aims to inform the wider debate around games as a therapeutic intervention not only within structured interventions, but also in a self-directed capacity.”

Initially, a range of existing games was tested with adolescents to help with the build of the game, which was then completed by Joseph Adams, an MSc student from the University of Bolton’s Centre for Games Development.

The published research can be downloaded using the following link: 

http://ubir.bolton.ac.uk/3550/