Can gaming interventions help treat youth depression or anxiety?

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Theo Kyriacou and Andie Ashdown summarise a systematic review which finds that gaming interventions may be useful for depression, but not anxiety, in young people.

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Screen time: Is it linked to intake of cariogenic food in children?

Polls regularly highlight 'growing fears' about children being bullied on the internet.

This review of the association between screen-time behaviour and diet, including a potentially cariogenic diet, in children younger than 12 years old includes 19 cross-sectional studies. All of the included studies suggest a relationship.

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cCBT for people with learning disabilities: Pesky gNATs #MHNR2017

Pesky Gnats

Leen Vereenooghe presents the results of an RCT of computerised cognitive behavioural therapy for people with learning disabilities, featuring the computer game “Pesky gNATs: The Feel Good Island”.

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Tetris for PTSD: behavioural intervention unlikely to vaccinate against intrusions

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Ioana Cristea disputes the claims of a recent proof-of-concept RCT, which aims to prevent intrusive memories after trauma via a brief intervention involving Tetris computer game play in the emergency department.

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Computer games for oral health education in young children

Behavioural and cognitive-behavioural group-based parenting interventions are effective at improving child conduct problems, parental mental health and parenting skills in the short term, in the parents of children aged 3-12.

This small RCT of a computer game to deliver oral health education in high caries risk children and families was highly satisfactory to users. Improvements in knowledge were demonstrated is the short term > however there was a high drop out rate an further studies are needed to assess change sin other groups and longer term benefits.

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Gamification for health and wellbeing

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Sasha Danilina publishes her debut blog about a recent literature review on the effectiveness of gamification applied to health and wellbeing.

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