A Motion-Activated Video Game for Prevention of Substance Use Disorder Relapse in Youth: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Lorien C Abroms, Marc Fishman, Hoa Vo, Shawn C Chiang, Victoria Somerville, Lawrence Rakhmanov, Michael Ruggiero, Daniel Greenberg, Lorien C Abroms, Marc Fishman, Hoa Vo, Shawn C Chiang, Victoria Somerville, Lawrence Rakhmanov, Michael Ruggiero, Daniel Greenberg

Abstract

Background: Body motion-activated video games are a promising strategy for promoting engagement in and adherence to addiction treatment among youth.

Objective: This pilot randomized trial (N=80) investigated the feasibility of a body motion-activated video game prototype, Recovery Warrior 2.0, targeting relapse prevention in the context of a community inpatient care program for youth.

Methods: Participants aged 15-25 years were recruited from an inpatient drug treatment program and randomized to receive treatment as usual (control) or game play with treatment as usual (intervention). Assessments were conducted at baseline, prior to discharge, and at 4 and 8 weeks postdischarge.

Results: The provision of the game play intervention was found to be feasible in the inpatient setting. On an average, participants in the intervention group played for 36.6 minutes and on 3.6 different days. Participants in the intervention group mostly agreed that they would use the refusal skills taught by the game. Participants in the intervention group reported attending more outpatient counseling sessions than those in the control group (10.8 versus 4.8), but the difference was not significant (P=.32). The game had no effect on drug use at 4 or 8 weeks postdischarge, with the exception of a benefit reported at the 4-week follow-up among participants receiving treatment for marijuana addiction (P=.04).

Conclusions: Preliminary evidence indicates that a motion-activated video game for addiction recovery appears to be feasible and acceptable for youth within the context of inpatient treatment, but not outpatient treatment. With further development, such games hold promise as a tool for the treatment of youth substance use disorder.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03957798; https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT03957798 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/78XU6ENB4).

Keywords: addiction treatment; marijuana; opioid; technology; video game; youth.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: DG is the President of Media Rez LLC. Media Rez is planning to sell Recovery Warrior as a commercial venture. LA has the potential to benefit financially from the sale of Recovery Warrior. MF is the Medical Director of Mountain Manor Treatment Center (MMTC), where patients were enrolled in this study. MF is also a part-time faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University and a beneficiary of the trust that owns MMTC. In addition, MF serves on the governing board of the trust and the Board of Directors of MMTC. This arrangement has been reviewed and approved by the Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict of interest policies. SC, LR, MR, VS, and HV declare no conflicts of interest.

©Lorien C Abroms, Marc Fishman, Hoa Vo, Shawn C Chiang, Victoria Somerville, Lawrence Rakhmanov, Michael Ruggiero, Daniel Greenberg. Originally published in JMIR Serious Games (http://games.jmir.org), 23.05.2019.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT flow diagram. Participant enrollment and follow-up.

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Source: PubMed

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