Prosocial video game as an intimate partner violence prevention tool among youth: A randomised controlled trial

Boduszek, Daniel, Debowska, Agata, Jones, Adele, Ma, Minhua ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7451-546X, Smith, David, Willmott, Dominic, Jemmott, Ena and Da Breo, Hazel (2019) Prosocial video game as an intimate partner violence prevention tool among youth: A randomised controlled trial. Computers in Human Behavior, 93. pp. 260-266. ISSN 0747-5632

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Abstract / Summary

Evidence demonstrates that exposure to prosocial video games can increase players’
prosocial behaviour, prosocial thoughts, and empathic responses. Prosocial gaming has also
been used to reduce gender-based violence among young people, but the use of video games
to this end as well as evaluations of their effectiveness are rare. The objective of this study
was to assess the effectiveness of a context-specific, prosocial video game, Jesse, in
increasing affective and cognitive responsiveness (empathy) towards victims of intimate
partner violence (IPV) among children and adolescents (N = 172, age range 9 – 17 years, M =
12.27, SD = 2.26). A randomised controlled trial was conducted in seven schools in
Barbados. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental (prosocial video game) or
control (standard school curriculum) condition. Experimental and control group enrolled 86
participants each. Girls and boys in the experimental condition, but not their counterparts in
the control condition, recorded a significant increase in affective responsiveness after
intervention. This change was sustained one week after game exposure. No significant effects
were recorded for cognitive responsiveness. Findings suggest that Jesse is a promising new
IPV prevention tool among girls and boys, which can be used in educational settings.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.028
ISSN:	0747-5632
Subjects:	Computer Science, Information & General Works Technology > Digital Works > Digital Games Technology > Digital Works Philosophy & Psychology
Depositing User:	Eunice Ma
Date Deposited:	01 Jul 2020 14:00
Last Modified:	11 Nov 2022 16:22
URI:	https://repository.falmouth.ac.uk/id/eprint/3974

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