Gamification and family leisure to alleviate the psychological impact of confinement due to COVID-19

Abstract

This study presents a quasi-experimental longitudinal mixed-methods research about the participation in leisure activities, physical activity, and games, as part of the family leisure programme (“Lunae Magic School”) for Spanish families with children under 12 years old during COVID-19 lockdown. The impact on parents and their perception of the psychological well-being of their children is evaluated. The results show that leisure activities reduce the parent's anxiety levels measured with STAI scale (p =.0001) and their perception of the physical and emotional discomfort of their children, measured with PSC scale (p