Cocreation and Evaluation of an Escape Game on Students' Mental Health

NCT06720792 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: ANR-21-CE36-0011ANR-21-CE36- 0011-02
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 191
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The Covid-19 pandemic and the protracted lockdowns have heavily impacted university students' mental health. Digital Escape Games represent a good means to reach students and propose them solutions for their psychological well-being. The objective of the study is to evaluate a cocreated digital Escape Game on students' mental health in the Covid-19 era. The evaluation of the effectiveness of this stand-alone intervention concerns mental health outcomes (mental health literacy, appraisal and change of beliefs about mental health, recognition and management of emotions, and positive coping strategies) and the appreciation and relevance of the game. A randomized controlled trial with pre- and post-test data collection (online questionnaires with validated scales) will be conducted among 500 students in Bordeaux, France, to evaluate a game cocreated with students, researchers, health professionals and web-developers. A sub-sample of students will be randomly selected for responding to a semi-structured interview following a mixed methods design. Recruitment will be done through mail invitation from student associations and presentations in university classes. Half of the sample (250 students) will play the Escape Game, while the other half will receive an email with mental health-related information. The whole study is carried out online. As of December 2nd 2024, 191 students have answered the baseline questionnaire (90 intervention vs. 101 control). Twenty-three students have played the Escape Game and 53 are in the control arm. The current sample size is too small for reaching significance level. Among participants, 20 were interviewed (10 intervention vs. 10 control) reaching the saturation of the sample. According to preliminary results, the game has proved a positive impact on all defined outcomes, while the email has been effective in increasing knowledge on resources available and on coping strategies and meditation techniques. We expect the trial to be completed by the end of June 2025. Preliminary results from the qualitative sub-study are promising: in the aftermaths of the Covid-19 crisis, this intervention is intended to promote players' mental health through gamification, knowledge transfer and a learning-by-doing approach.

Conditions

Mental Health

Keywords

cocreation; evaluation; randomised controlled trial; students; mental health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• The Mental Health Literacy Scale

  Validated scale on knowledge, information and beliefs about mental health. Score range from 35 to 160. There are no categories, it is a continuous score.

  Up to 3 months (baseline + one week + one month and three months after having played the Escape Game or having received the email.the email

• The Health Belief Model Scale

  Validated scale on how we perceive and represent health in general and mental health in particular

  Up to 3 months (baseline + one week + one month and three months after having played the Escape Game or having received the email. Score ranges from 1 to 5, continuous variable.

• The Differential Emotions Scale

  Validated scale for assessment of an individual's emotions. Mean, standard deviation, variance.

  Up to 3 months (baseline + one week + one month and three months after having played the Escape Game or having received the email.the email

• The Ways of Coping strategy Questionnaire

  Validated questionnaire describing one's resilience and knowledge of strategies to promote (mental) health and prevent (mental) diseases

  Up to 3 months (baseline + one week + one month and three months after having played the Escape Game or having received the email.the email

• Acceptability and relevance of the game

  Ad hoc items to describe the appreciation of the game. Sum of the answers, continuous variable.

  One week after having played the Escape Game or having received the email.

Study Arms (2)

Game play

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants receive an email with the link to book a slot to play the Escape Game. The date when students can play the Escape Game is defined when 4 students are available at the same slot. Students receive a further email with all the instructions to play the game.

Other: EscapeCovid

email on mental health-related information

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Students receive an email detailing mental health services and describing the most common mental health problems. Participants are randomized so that the two groups are similar in terms of sex, age and field of study (stratified balanced randomization).

Other: EscapeCovid

Interventions

EscapeCovid OTHER

Online Escape Game with 4 players and a game guide. The players, in a group, must solve enigmas to win.

Game play; email on mental health-related information

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• university students
• understanding and speaking French
• being aged more than 18 years old

You may not qualify if:

• not enrolled in a French university
• minor
• not understanding and speaking French
• not having given one's electronic consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Bordeaux: lead
• David Labrosse: collaborator
• Clara Vié: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Bordeaux Population Health U1219

Bordeaux, 33000, France

RECRUITING

Related Publications (9)

• Vie C, Govindin-Ramassamy K, Thellier D, Labrosse D, Montagni I. Effectiveness of digital games promoting young people's mental health: A review of reviews. Digit Health. 2024 Feb 5;10:20552076231220814. doi: 10.1177/20552076231220814. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

  PMID: 38323239 BACKGROUND

• Michie S, van Stralen MM, West R. The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implement Sci. 2011 Apr 23;6:42. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-6-42.

  PMID: 21513547 BACKGROUND

• Plutchik R. The measurement of emotions. Acta Neuropsychiatr. 1997 Jun;9(2):58-60. doi: 10.1017/S0924270800036802.

  PMID: 26972127 BACKGROUND

• Montagni I, Gonzalez Caballero JL. Validation of the Mental Health Literacy Scale in French University Students. Behav Sci (Basel). 2022 Jul 28;12(8):259. doi: 10.3390/bs12080259.

  PMID: 36004830 BACKGROUND

• Janz NK, Becker MH. The Health Belief Model: a decade later. Health Educ Q. 1984 Spring;11(1):1-47. doi: 10.1177/109019818401100101.

  PMID: 6392204 BACKGROUND

• Aschentrup L, Steimer PA, Dadaczynski K, Mc Call T, Fischer F, Wrona KJ. Effectiveness of gamified digital interventions in mental health prevention and health promotion among adults: a scoping review. BMC Public Health. 2024 Jan 2;24(1):69. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-17517-3.

  PMID: 38167010 BACKGROUND

• Arrue M, Suarez N, Ugartemendia-Yerobi M, Babarro I. Let's play and learn: Educational escape room to improve mental health knowledge in undergraduate nursing students. Nurse Educ Today. 2025 Jan;144:106453. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2024.106453. Epub 2024 Oct 11.

  PMID: 39418755 BACKGROUND

• Labrosse D, Vie C, Hajjam H, Tisseron C, Thellier D, Montagni I. An Escape Game on University Students' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cocreation Study. JMIR Serious Games. 2024 Mar 18;12:e48545. doi: 10.2196/48545.

  PMID: 38498033 RESULT

• Labrosse D, Vie C, Harb M, Montagni I. Escape Game to Promote Students' Mental Health Outcomes in the Aftermaths of COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study Evaluating a Cocreated Intervention. JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 Apr 2;14:e64068. doi: 10.2196/64068.

  PMID: 40173436 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Ilaria Montagni Lecturer-researcher, PhD

CONTACT

00330642193363; ilaria.montagni@u-bordeaux.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Lecturer-researcher

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 27, 2024
• First Posted: December 6, 2024
• Study Start: January 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2025
• Study Completion: December 31, 2025
• Last Updated: December 6, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-12

Locations

FR (1)