Efficacy of a Serious Game for Individuals with Interpersonal Trauma

Background: This study aimed to develop a serious game for college students with interpersonal trauma to practice adopting an alternative perspective mentoring a game character with similar experiences.Methods: We recruited 44 college students with high levels of distress after experiencing interpersonal trauma. They were assigned to either the serious game+relaxation training (SG+RX, n=22) or the virtual reality+relaxation training condition (VR+RX, n=22). Cognitive, emotional, and self-efficacy aspects related to trauma were compared in both groups before and after treatment. In addition, interpersonal perceptions of "warmth, dominance, trust, and accessibility" for facial expressions of happiness, anger, and neutrality were compared in both groups before and after treatment.Results: Both groups showed positive changes in relaxation, post-traumatic cognition, and post-traumatic emotion after treatment. The SG+RX group showed greater increases in behavioral competence and confidence in the future and rated accessibility to angry/happy facial expressions higher than the VR+RX group.Conclusions: These findings suggest that an interactive serious game promoting empathy, coping skills, and an alternative perspective effects positive changes for individuals with interpersonal trauma.