Educational video game PlaySmart reduces teen depression for a year

A clinical trial with 532 high school students found that the educational video game PlaySmart significantly reduced depressive symptoms in adolescents for at least a year, doubling the effect of traditional school programs Source: El Nacional. The study, led by researchers at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine and published in JAMA Network Open, involved students aged 16–19 in Connecticut Source: Hoy. Participants played PlaySmart one hour weekly for six weeks, while a control group played games without therapeutic content Source: Infobae.

Key findings

• Depressive symptoms, measured by the PHQ-8 scale, dropped significantly after one year, matching or doubling effects of in-person prevention programs Source: Diario Libre.
• Benefits persisted at 12 months, unlike other interventions that fade by six months Source: El Nacional.
• Students showed improved willingness to seek professional psychological help Source: Hoy.

Inclusivity

PlaySmart's benefits were consistent across sex, ethnicity, school level, food insecurity, and family addiction history Source: Infobae. The sample was 53% male, 45% African American, and 38% Hispanic Source: Diario Libre. The game is self-guided and requires no clinician in the classroom, making it easy to integrate into school curricula Source: El Nacional.

What's next

PlaySmart is commercially distributed by Playbl, a Dartmouth-affiliated company Source: Infobae. The study suggests digital interventions could complement traditional mental health strategies in schools Source: Hoy.