3 179 IN-GAME PLAY BEHAVIOURS PREDICT IMPROVEMENTS IN ANXIETY with no recorded first and/or last play-session, with only a short video of the first session (i.e., 6 and 9 minutes), or with significant disturbances2 during game-play were excluded. In total, video data of 43 children were coded and analysed. Children that were excluded did not significantly differ from the children that were included with respect to their sex, age and pre-test anxiety scores (χ2(1, N=77) = 0.53, p = .466; t(75) = -0.60, p = .551; and t(75) = 0.94, p = .351, respectively). Measures Anxiety symptoms The Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS-C; Spence, 1997, 1998) was used to assess anxiety symptoms before and after playing MindLight. This scale consisted of 44 items where children are asked how often (i.e., never, sometimes, often, always; scored as 0-3) they experience symptoms of six DSM-IV defined anxiety disorders, namely separation anxiety disorder (6 items), social phobia (6 items), panic disorder and agoraphobia (9 items), physical injury fears (5 items), generalised anxiety disorder (6 items), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (6 items). Six items were positive filler items to reduce negative response bias. Mean anxiety scores were calculated over the 38 anxiety items and used in the analyses. The SCAS-C is a reliable and valid measure (Birmaher et al., 1997; Muris et al., 1998; Muris et al., 2000b; Reynolds & Richmond, 1978) and in the current study internal consistency was good; Cronbach’s alpha = .89 for pretest and .90 for post-test. Coding of in-game play behaviours During the MindLight sessions, the on-screen output was videotaped using Fraps (Version 3.5.99; 2015). This program records the exact output of the screen (i.e., what the children see on their screens while playing the game). On-screen video data was coded using observational codes with the Noldus Observer XT (Version 11.5; Noldus Information Technology, 2013). Real-time in-game play behaviours during the first and last play-session3 were coded following the adapted version of the MindLight Coding System (i.e., MCS-II; based 2 Significant disturbances included: [1] trainer was wearing the MindWave instead of the child, [2] child had to change laptops, which led to the situation that the child had to start over with the game, [3] technical problems or no connection with the MindWave for more than 50% of a specific session. 3 When a child was absent during the last or the fifth session, video data from the fifth or the fourth session was coded, respectively.
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