Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Mar;28(3):307-318.
doi: 10.1007/s00787-018-1195-z. Epub 2018 Jul 9.

Changes in irrational beliefs are responsible for the efficacy of the REThink therapeutic game in preventing emotional disorders in children and adolescents: mechanisms of change analysis of a randomized clinical trial

Oana A David  1 , Roxana A I Cardoș  2 , Silviu Matu  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Changes in irrational beliefs are responsible for the efficacy of the REThink therapeutic game in preventing emotional disorders in children and adolescents: mechanisms of change analysis of a randomized clinical trial

Oana A David et al. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2019 Mar.

Abstract

The mechanisms of change are rarely investigated in the field of gamified interventions for preventing emotional disorders in children and adolescents despite the wide recognition for the advantages they offer as prevention tool. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms of change of a therapeutic game (REThink), specifically mediators and moderators of its efficacy. We conducted a randomized controlled trial, involving 165 children (age range 10-16 years), who were randomly distributed across three groups: the REThink group (N = 54), the Rational Emotive Behavior Education group (N = 55) and the Waitlist condition (N = 56). Results indicated that changes in irrational beliefs were significant mediators for the REThink intervention on depressive mood and overall negative emotions. Age did not moderate the effect of REThink, which indicates that the program was equally effective for children and adolescents.Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03308981.

Keywords: Internalizing disorders; Prevention; Randomized controlled trial; Rational emotive behavioral therapy; Therapeutic game.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Clin Psychol Rev. 2000 Jun;20(4):509-31 - PubMed
    1. Clin Psychol Rev. 2006 May;26(3):284-98 - PubMed
    1. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2006 Jun;74(3):401-15 - PubMed
    1. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2007 Jun;75(3):380-9 - PubMed
    1. J Adolesc Health. 2007 Sep;41(3):263-70 - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data

LinkOut - more resources