Exploring Mexican psychotherapist's attitudes towards knowledge and use of serious games in clinical practice

Abstract

Objective: To explore the perceptions, attitudes, and use of serious games (SG) in psychotherapeutic intervention from the perspective of psychotherapists in Mexico. Methods: An online survey was conducted using snowball sampling through social media. The participation of psychotherapists was sought, regardless of their theoretical approach. The questionnaire, available through SurveyMonkey, explored demographics, experience with electronic devices and computer games, experience with SG, and attitudes toward SG use. Two hundred and sixteen health professionals participated, yielding 135 (62.5%) complete questionnaires; 74.1% of the respondents were women. Participants had an average age of 35 (SD + 11) and 9.5 (SD + 8.5) years of clinical experience. The most common psychotherapeutic approach was cognitive-behavioral (66.7%). Results: Nearly all respondents used a technological modality as part of psychotherapy but only nine (6.6%) reported using SG. Participants considered that SG could be used to treat anxiety and emotional and impulse control disorders with a mild to moderate degree of severity. A total of 4.8% of therapists showed unfavorable attitudes and 9.8% highly favorable attitudes towards SG; no statistically significant differences were observed by sex, age, years of experience, or psychotherapeutic approach. Although SG are a little-known care modality in Mexico, some potential benefits have been acknowledged, particularly in the care of adolescents and young people, for specific skills training. More information on their advantages and disadvantages should be made available to those seeking care and health professionals.