This study aims to assess the effects of an intervention to improve emotional regulation skills in adolescents with affective (anxiety and/or depression) and behavioral problems.
Emotional regulation skills and strategies are a protective factor against various problems and psychopathologies. The development and maintenance of affective symptoms are usually very harmful to the adolescent and for his/her family and social environment and can lead to other more serious psychological problems (depression, anxiety, adaptive disorders, etc.) or problems of socio-educational maladjustment. This study aims to improve the emotional regulation of adolescents who present affective symptoms related to anxiety, depression, or behavioral problems, such as difficulties in their interpersonal relationships, impulsivity, anxiety, anger attacks, low tolerance to frustration, apathy, or sadness. The intervention program, applied through a video game, is an intervention protocol for emotional well-being that has been tested and validated in an adolescent population with emotional and behavioral problems.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
120
This intervention aims to aim to develop competencies for emotional regulation through exposure and acceptance strategies. This intervention is applied through a serious game developed for this purpose. the adolescent will complete a series of missions aimed at developing skills related to psychological flexibility, namely, greater psychological acceptance, mindfulness in the present moment, and committed actions in the direction of personal values. This serious game is guided by a therapist.
Torrecardenas Hospital
Almería, Andalusia, Spain
University of Almería
Almería, Andalusia, Spain
University Jaume I
Castellon, Castellón, Spain
The Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS; Hervás & Jódar, 2008)
Consists of 28 items that make up 6 dimensions of emotional dysregulation: attention, acceptance, impulsivity, clarity, goals and strategies. The reliability index is between .87 and .93.
Time frame: Change from baseline at immediately after the intervention, and at 3 months
Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-30; Pineda et al., 2018)
it is a 30-item scale to assess the presence of symptoms associated or compatible with depression and anxiety in children and adolescents. Internal consistency between .78 and .93.
Time frame: Change from baseline at immediately after the intervention, and at 3 months
Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Young People (AFQ-Y; Valdivia-Salas, Martín-Albo, Zaldívar, Lombas, & Jiménez, 2016)
that assesses the level of avoidance and cognitive fusion present when faced with distressing situations. This scale presents a Cronbach's alpha between .76 and 87.
Time frame: Change from baseline at immediately after the intervention, and at 3 months
. Willingness and Action Scale for Children and Adolescents (WAM; Cobos, Flujas-Contreras, & Gomez, 2020)
) to assess levels of acceptance and behavioral activation (action) in the direction of valued life areas. This scale shows an internal consistency between .76 and .81.
Time frame: Change from baseline at immediately after the intervention, and at 3 months
Mood and coping
At the start and close of the App, a series of questions will appear that measure mood of the users by means of a visual face scale (5-point Likert) and a coping question by means of a 5-point Likert scale.
Time frame: Change from baseline at immediately after the intervention, and at 3 months
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.