Effects of active video games on mental health among college students: a systematic review
Abstract Background Mental health significantly impacts college students' academic performance and overall happiness. Active video games (AVGs) have gained popularity among college students due to their ample entertainment, and there is growing interest in utilizing them to address mental healt...
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BMC
2024-12-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21011-9 |
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| author | Yue Zhao Kim Geok Soh Hazizi bin Abu Saad Wenchao Rong Cong Liu Xinzhi Wang |
| author_facet | Yue Zhao Kim Geok Soh Hazizi bin Abu Saad Wenchao Rong Cong Liu Xinzhi Wang |
| author_sort | Yue Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Mental health significantly impacts college students' academic performance and overall happiness. Active video games (AVGs) have gained popularity among college students due to their ample entertainment, and there is growing interest in utilizing them to address mental health issues. However, there has not been a comprehensive summary and systematic review of research on the effects of AVGs on college students' mental health. Methods As of October 18th, 2024, searches were conducted in six internationally renowned databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library). Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed based on the PICOS principles. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, and compliant studies using randomised controlled trial design (RCT) were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the PEDro scale. Results A total of 3471 articles were retrieved, of which 17 met the criteria inclusion. The PEDro scores of the 17 studies ranged from four to nine. The results indicate that AVGs can effectively improve college students' poor mental health, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as increase their happiness and psychological satisfaction. Moreover, AVGs have been shown to increase motivation for exercise, improve college students' attitudes toward other forms of exercise, and promote sustained physical activity. Additionally, AVGs have demonstrated efficacy in improving sleep quality. Conclusion Overall, AVGs can serve as an effective intervention to reduce dysphoria and promote positive psychological states among college students, thus improving mental health. Using the theory-based design of AVGs will further increase the effect. However, the effects of AVGs vary depending on their type and initial design purpose. Therefore, when using AVGs to improve college students' mental health, it is necessary to carefully consider the students' original state, select AVGs with rich game content that can provide at least moderate-intensity physical activity, and adopt the correct intervention strategy to achieve good results. AVG can potentially become a valuable tool for improving college students' mental health. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero , identifier: CRD42024510488 |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9d8b67b007994187b46698094683df44 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-9d8b67b007994187b46698094683df442025-01-05T12:49:21ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582024-12-0124112610.1186/s12889-024-21011-9Effects of active video games on mental health among college students: a systematic reviewYue Zhao0Kim Geok Soh1Hazizi bin Abu Saad2Wenchao Rong3Cong Liu4Xinzhi Wang5Faculty of Educational Studies, Department of Sports Studies, Universiti Putra MalaysiaFaculty of Educational Studies, Department of Sports Studies, Universiti Putra MalaysiaFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition, Universiti Putra MalaysiaFaculty of Educational Studies, Department of Sports Studies, Universiti Putra MalaysiaFaculty of Educational Studies, Department of Sports Studies, Universiti Putra MalaysiaFaculty of Educational Studies, Department of Sports Studies, Universiti Putra MalaysiaAbstract Background Mental health significantly impacts college students' academic performance and overall happiness. Active video games (AVGs) have gained popularity among college students due to their ample entertainment, and there is growing interest in utilizing them to address mental health issues. However, there has not been a comprehensive summary and systematic review of research on the effects of AVGs on college students' mental health. Methods As of October 18th, 2024, searches were conducted in six internationally renowned databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library). Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed based on the PICOS principles. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, and compliant studies using randomised controlled trial design (RCT) were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the PEDro scale. Results A total of 3471 articles were retrieved, of which 17 met the criteria inclusion. The PEDro scores of the 17 studies ranged from four to nine. The results indicate that AVGs can effectively improve college students' poor mental health, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as increase their happiness and psychological satisfaction. Moreover, AVGs have been shown to increase motivation for exercise, improve college students' attitudes toward other forms of exercise, and promote sustained physical activity. Additionally, AVGs have demonstrated efficacy in improving sleep quality. Conclusion Overall, AVGs can serve as an effective intervention to reduce dysphoria and promote positive psychological states among college students, thus improving mental health. Using the theory-based design of AVGs will further increase the effect. However, the effects of AVGs vary depending on their type and initial design purpose. Therefore, when using AVGs to improve college students' mental health, it is necessary to carefully consider the students' original state, select AVGs with rich game content that can provide at least moderate-intensity physical activity, and adopt the correct intervention strategy to achieve good results. AVG can potentially become a valuable tool for improving college students' mental health. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero , identifier: CRD42024510488https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21011-9ExergameDepressionAnxietyStressHappinessEnjoyment |
| spellingShingle | Yue Zhao Kim Geok Soh Hazizi bin Abu Saad Wenchao Rong Cong Liu Xinzhi Wang Effects of active video games on mental health among college students: a systematic review BMC Public Health Exergame Depression Anxiety Stress Happiness Enjoyment |
| title | Effects of active video games on mental health among college students: a systematic review |
| title_full | Effects of active video games on mental health among college students: a systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Effects of active video games on mental health among college students: a systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of active video games on mental health among college students: a systematic review |
| title_short | Effects of active video games on mental health among college students: a systematic review |
| title_sort | effects of active video games on mental health among college students a systematic review |
| topic | Exergame Depression Anxiety Stress Happiness Enjoyment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-21011-9 |
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