EmoTIChealth: Promoting Adolescent Health Through a Serious Game.

Conditions studied

Type 1 Diabetes, Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis, Food Allergy, Adolescent Development

About this study

The intervention program targets adolescents between 12 and 16 years of age. The intervention program is designed for adolescents during a critical developmental stage marked by significant life transitions, where building strong personal resources and receiving psychological support is essential to foster socioemotional skills and overall well-being. The serious game aims to promote psycho-emotional health in the general adolescent population, supporting healthy development and preventing future emotional difficulties. At the same time, it incorporates specific modules for adolescents living with chronic conditions such as asthma, food allergy, type 1 diabetes, and allergic rhinitis, who may face additional risks of psychological challenges that can complicate treatment and prognosis. By combining universal health promotion with tailored support, the program addresses both the needs of healthy adolescents and those with chronic illnesses. The platform integrates digital and technological tools for dynamic and personalized intervention. Artificial intelligence adapts activities and feedback to each participant's socio-demographic profile and evolving needs, this supports directly in participants' daily lives and natural environments, making the experience more relevant and impactful. The serious game, proven effective in engaging young people, goes beyond traditional psychoeducation by creating an interactive environment where adolescents develop socio-emotional competencies, resilience, and health-related knowledge. Through its six thematic areas, the game promotes overall well-being and healthy habits, while its condition-specific modules provide targeted guidance and coping strategies for asthma, food allergies, type 1 diabetes, and allergic rhinitis.

Interventions

• Behavioral: EmoTIChealth — The EmoTIChealth technological platform intervenes in users through a "serious game", i.e. a video game whose main purpose is to teach or provide the player with certain skills that serve to achieve a higher purpose than the game itself. The game is composed of 6 areas, each of which refers to one of the variables that are analyzed or considered important in promoting health related quality of life and adaptation to chronic illness: Area 1. Psychoeducation; 2. Emotional awareness and expression; 3. Emotional regulation; 4. Problem solving; 5. Self-esteem and identity;6. Social skills and communication.

Primary outcomes

• Change Quality of Life (Baseline-Pre-Post) (Baseline up to 8 weeks)
• Change Emotional and Behavioral Problems (Baseline-Pre-Post) (Baseline up to 8 weeks)
• Change Emotional Competences (Baseline-Pre-Post) (Baseline up to 8 weeks)
• Change Self-concept (Baseline-Pre-Post) (Baseline up to 8 weeks)
• Change Coping (Baseline-Pre-Post) (Baseline up to 8 weeks)
• Change Social Skills (Baseline-Pre-Post) (Baseline up to 8 weeks)

Eligibility information

Study locations

• Facultat de Psicología, Valencia, Valencia 46010 Spain