TOPLINE

Adults receiving antidepressant treatment and having residual depressive symptoms who were given access to a smartphone-based serious game (defined as a game built for therapeutic, educational, or behavioral purposes rather than for pure entertainment), optional internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (ICBT) modules, and on-demand therapist support showed a greater reduction in the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms than those in a waitlisted control group, a trial showed. The intervention was also associated with improved medication adherence over 9 weeks.

METHODOLOGY

• In an open-label randomized controlled trial conducted in Sweden, 148 adults who were on antidepressant treatment and had residual depressive symptoms (defined as a self-rated Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale [MADRS-S] score ≥ 13) were included.
• The mean age of the participants was 39.75 years, 82.43% were women, and most had previous experience with psychological treatment. The mean baseline MADRS-S score was 24.54, indicating moderate severity of depressive symptoms.
• The participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either a multicomponent digital intervention for 9 weeks (intervention group) or the same intervention 2 weeks later (waitlisted control group). The intervention comprised a CBT-based serious smartphone game named Fig: The Game for Depression, 25 optional ICBT modules, and therapist support on demand.
• Researchers primarily assessed a change in the severity of depressive symptoms post-treatment using the MADRS-S. Secondary outcomes included a change in the severity of anxiety symptoms (measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale [GAD-7]), as well as medication adherence (measured using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale [MMAS-8]) and quality of life (measured using the Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale).

TAKEAWAY

• The severity of depressive symptoms (difference in mean MADRS-S scores, -5.06; P < .001) and anxiety symptoms (difference in mean GAD-7 scores, -2.95; P < .001) post-treatment was significantly reduced in the intervention group compared with the control group.
• Medication adherence improved significantly in the intervention group compared with the control group (difference in mean MMAS-8 scores, 0.85; P < .001).
• More members of the treatment group achieved at least 30% symptom improvement on MADRS-S scores compared to the control group (51.1% vs 18.6%, respectively; P < .001).
• Quality of life did not differ significantly between the groups.

IN PRACTICE

"This trial provides preliminary evidence that access to a multicomponent digital intervention, comprising the CE-marked serious game Fig, optional ICBT modules and therapist support on demand, can produce short-term improvements in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and medication adherence relative to a waitlist among adults receiving antidepressant medication with residual depressive symptoms," the authors wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Josefin Brehmer, Linköping University, Sweden. It was published online on September 18 in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

LIMITATIONS

About 41% of participants receiving the intervention did not provide posttreatment data on depressive symptoms. The study lacked an objective measure of adherence to medication. Long-term effects were not assessed, and the effects could not be attributed to the game alone given the multicomponent intervention and self-selected engagement with components. Generalizability of the findings was limited by recruitment through social media, with most participants being women or having prior psychological treatment experience.

DISCLOSURES

The study was funded by Mindforce Game Lab, makers of the game Fig. The authors reported no other conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.