94 Chapter 2 Table A.4 Characteristics of the studies focussing on anxiety Paper Country Target group N % male Age, mean (SD) Age range Intervention arms Intervention characteristics Assessments Variables measured Findings relevant for current review Beidel et al. 2021 USA Children with a primary diagnosis of social anxiety disorder 42 38.1 9.55 (1.84) 7-12 years 1. Social effectiveness therapy for children (SET-C; active condition). 2. PegasysVRtm; artificially intelligent, web-based application (applied game). 1. Twenty-four sessions for a total of 48 hours; two sessions per week. 2. Twenty-four sessions for a total of 36 hours; two sessions per week. Pre and post. Social fears (social phobia and anxiety), competencies, behavioural problems/ diagnoses, internalising, externalising and total problems symptomology, overall functioning, severity of social anxiety disorder, social skills. Both programs were equally efficacious in decreasing anxiety and improving social skill in social encounters. Sixty-three percent of children treated with SET-C and 60% treated with Pegasys-VRtm no longer met diagnostic criteria for social anxiety disorder at posttreatment. Dennis et al. 2014 USA Highly trait-anxious adults 78 29.5 21.26 (5.70) 17-50 years 1. Short attention-bias modification training (ABMT). 2. Short placebo training. 3. Long ABMT training (applied game). 4. Long placebo training (active condition). 1-2. One session with 25 minutes of gameplay and two 10-minute breaks. 3-4. One session with 45 minutes of gameplay with brief breaks given as needed. Pre and post. State anxiety, attentional bias, stress reactivity (anxious behaviour and mood were measured before and after a social-evaluative-threat task and a lack-of-control task; both stress tasks were performed after the training); threat-bias, state anxiety and negative mood, age (covariates). The ABMT reduced subjective anxiety and observed stress reactivity. Only the long ABMT reduced threat bias. Haberkamp et al. 2021 Germany Spider-fearful adults 68 11.8 22.73 (3.18) 18-35 years 1. Spider App (applied game). 2. Bubble Shooter (casual game). 1-2. Both conditions played the game twice a day for approximately 12 minutes, for 7 days. Pre, post and 1-week FU, as well as before and after each session (emotional states only for the Spider App group). Avoidance behaviour, spider fear, depressive symptoms, psychological stress, emotional states (anxiety, arousal, disgust). Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed less avoidance behaviour and lower anxiety of spiders. No differences between groups on depression or psychological distress were found. Emotional states of anxiety, disgust and arousal after playing the game decreased from day to day.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTk4NDMw