A Pilot Evaluation of a Therapeutic Game Applied to Small Animal Phobia Treatment

摘要

This study presents Catch Me game, a therapeutic game for teaching patients how to confront to their feared animals during spider and cockroach phobia treatment, and evaluates whether inclusion of gaming elements into therapeutic protocol does have an added value for the treatment. The Catch Me game was designed in order to help patients learn about their feared animals and to learn how to apply adapted confrontation strategies and techniques with the lowest possible anxiety level. In this study, Catch Me game was evaluated in terms of knowledge acquisition, anxiety level, self-efficacy belief acquisition, and appeal to both participants and therapists. Data collection consisted of quantitative measures on a sample of 14 non-clinical population. The results showed that the game significantly improved knowledge and self-efficacy belief regarding the feared animal, and significantly decreased the anxiety level of participants. Moreover, both participants and the therapists were highly satisfied with the game.