Isabela Granic's research while affiliated with McMaster University and other places
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Publications (157)
Group-level studies of the association between social media use and wellbeing in emerging adults have so far yielded mixed and inconsistent results. As a result, recent research has shifted focus towards assessing potential heterogeneity in social media use relationships in youth. In this preregistered study, we aimed to take previous efforts furth...
The current study aimed to identify specific feedback mechanics and psychological processes that may contribute to positive outcomes in biofeedback applications for anxiety regulation. Specifically, using a dismantling study design, the unique impact of visualizations that directly mirror users' breathing was examined in relation to anxiety regulat...
It is widely recognized that police performance may be hindered by psychophysiological state changes during acute stress. To address the need for awareness and control of these physiological changes, police academies in many countries have implemented Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) biofeedback training. Despite these trainings now being widely delive...
Literature concerning the relationship between social media use and wellbeing is inconsistent in its findings, and most research has focused on time spent on social media rather than on what emerging adults do there, with whom and why. Here, we investigated whether momentary social stress affects emerging adults’ social media use, and whether this...
It is widely recognized that police performance may be hindered by psychophysiological state changes during acute stress. To address the need for awareness and control of these physiological changes, police academies in many countries have implemented Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) biofeedback training. Despite these trainings now being widely delive...
Rejection consists of a range of behaviors from ignoring another to explicitly excluding someone from an encounter. Currently available experimental tasks have shown that rejection has strong emotional, behavioral, and physical effects, but the tasks have some limitations. We argue that video games can address these limitations and have developed a...
Objective: Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent form of psychopathology among youth. Because demand for treatment far exceeds availability, there is a need for alternative approaches that are accessible, engaging, and incorporate practice to reach as many youth as possible. MindLight is a novel videogame intervention that combines evidence-base...
Concerns regarding smartphones’ and social media’s impact on youth remain high amidst a growing realization that current research is not designed to confirm (or refute) such concerns. This study aims to answer fundamental questions regarding youths’ use of smartphones, by implementing a novel user-centric research method. The smartphone use of 114...
Objective: Smoking is a major cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. Evidence-based intervention programs to help young adults quit smoking are largely lacking; identifying targets for intervention is therefore critical. A candidate target is inhibitory control, with previous studies on Go/No-Go trainings showing behavior change in the food an...
Objective:
Applied games are considered a promising approach to deliver mental health interventions. Nonspecific factors such as expectations and motivation may be crucial to optimize effectiveness yet have not been examined so far. The current study examined the effect of expectations for improvement on (1) experienced fun and positive affect, and...
Digital screens have become an integral part of everyday life. In the wake of the digital swell, pre-adolescents and their parents are learning to navigate seemingly new terrain regarding digital media use. The present study aimed to investigate parent and pre-adolescent perceptions of screen use and the source of conflict surrounding digital media...
As part of the Dutch national science program “Professional Games for Professional Skills” we developed a stress-exposure biofeedback training in virtual reality (VR) for the Dutch police. We aim to reduce the acute negative impact of stress on performance, as well as long-term consequences for mental health by facilitating physiological stress reg...
Background:
Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent among adolescents in Western countries. However, although treatment for depressive symptoms is available, many adolescents do not seek help when they need it. Important barriers to help-seeking among adolescents include low mental health literacy and high stigma. Therefore, we have developed a g...
Depressive symptoms and disorders are major public health concerns, affecting many adolescents and young adults. Despite extensive research, depression prevention programs for youth show limited effectiveness. Moreover, the maximal potential of youth psychotherapy - on which depression prevention programs are based - may have been reached. Commerci...
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health problems in childhood. Engaging, adequate, and appropriate prevention programs are needed. Applied games form a potential alternative delivery model and recent evidence suggests that they could be effective. The present randomized controlled non-inferiority trial investigated the beneficial eff...
Biofeedback has shown to be a promising tool for the treatment of anxiety; however, several theoretical as well as practical limitations have prevented widespread adaptation until now. With current technological advances and the increasing interest in the use of self-monitoring technology to improve mental health, we argue that this is an ideal tim...
We are in the midst of a global transition in which digital “screens” are no longer simply entertainment devices and distractions; rather, adolescents are currently living in a hybrid reality that links digital spaces to offline contexts. Yet, psychological scientists studying the mental health impact of digital experiences largely focus on correla...
The current response article began by situating this journal volume in the current COVID-19 pandemic context which has driven young people into digital spaces for far longer periods of time than ever. Many scholars, policy makers, and the public at large are recognizing that these social digital spaces may be the only outlet by which youth and thei...
Both academic and public interest in social media and their effects have increased dramatically over the last decade. In particular, a plethora of studies have been conducted that aimed to uncover the relationship between social media use and youth well-being, fueled by recent concerns that declines in youth well-being may well be caused by a rise...
Anxiety and depression are the most prevalent mental health disorders among young adults, leading to debilitating outcomes. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the use of video games to prevent and treat mental health problems. Insight into the motivational factors that influence game selection and engagement will inform us on how to...
Background
Many adolescents in special education are affected by anxiety in addition to their behavioral problems. Anxiety leads to substantial long-term problems and may underlie disruptive behaviors in the classroom as a result of the individual’s inability to tolerate anxiety-provoking situations. Thus, interventions in special needs schools tha...
Background and objectives
In the clinical setting, a large proportion of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience impairing anxiety symptoms. Recently, an applied videogame called Mindlight has been developed that focuses on decreasing anxiety in children. The present study involved a randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigatin...
Smoking is a major cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. Almost no evidence-based intervention programs are available to help youth quit smoking. We argue that ineffective targeting of peer influence and engagement difficulties are significant barriers to successful youth smoking cessation. To address these barriers, we developed the mobile g...
Background: Social media are as popular as ever, and concerns regarding the effects of social media use on adolescent well-being and mental health have sparked many scientific studies into use effects. Social media research is currently at an important crossroads: conflicting results on social media use’s effects on well-being are abundant, and rec...
BACKGROUND
Social media are as popular as ever, and concerns regarding the effects of social media use on adolescent well-being and mental health have sparked many scientific studies into use effects. Social media research is currently at an important crossroads: conflicting results on social media use’s effects on well-being are abundant, and rece...
In everyday decision-making, individuals make trade-offs between short-term and long-term benefits or costs. Depending on many factors, individuals may choose to wait for larger delayed reward, yet in other situations they may prefer the smaller, immediate reward. In addition to within-subject variation in the short-term versus long-term reward tra...
UNSTRUCTURED
Biofeedback has shown to be a promising tool for the treatment of anxiety however several theoretical as well as practical limitations have prevented widespread adaptation until now. With current technological advances and the increasing interest in the use of self-monitoring technology to improve mental health we argue that this is an...
In this symposium several critical and innovative views on internalizing psychopathology were presented with an aim to encourage research that explores these disorders in non-standard and innovative ways. Despite high quality intervention research, internalizing disorders such as anxiety and depression are still major causes of global disease burde...
There is substantial interest in the possibility that cognitive skills can be improved by dedicated behavioral training. Yet despite the large amount of work being conducted in this domain, there is not an explicit and widely agreed upon consensus around the best methodological practices. This document seeks to fill this gap. We start from the pers...
Objective: Smoking is one of the leading public health problems worldwide. The inability to quit smoking may be the result of the amplified value of smoking-related cues and inhibitory control deficits. Previous research has shown that pairing substance-related cues with no-go trials in go/no-go training reduces the value of these cues, an effect k...
There is substantial interest in the possibility that cognitive skills can be improved by dedicated behavioral training. Yet despite
the large amount of work being conducted in this domain, there is not an explicit and widely agreed upon consensus around the
best methodological practices. This document seeks to fill this gap. We start from the pers...
Applied games for mental health are an addition to current interventions. To successfully implement applied games, appealing games are needed that motivate youth to play and practice. However, applied games are often not as appealing as commercial games. Children’s views on the motivational characteristics of an applied game for anxiety (MindLight)...
Anxiety disorder is the most prevalent and frequently diagnosed disorder in youth, and associated with serious negative health outcomes. Our most effective prevention programs, however, have several limitations. These limitations can be addressed using game-based interventions. Results from two randomized controlled trials on the video game MindLig...
Serious games aimed at promoting well-being in youth have promising effects and potential for far-reaching impact. Considering that most mental health disorders remain untreated in youth, therapeutic games may be most valuable when they are aimed at untreated youth with internalizing symptoms. However, when targeting youth outside of a clinical set...
Background
Informant discrepancies between mother and child have challenged the assessment, classification, and treatment of childhood anxiety. Despite numerous studies on this matter, the implications and consequences for research and clinical practice remain unclear. Objective
The present study aimed to obtain meaningful clinical information abou...
UNSTRUCTURED
Numerous reviews and meta-analyses have indicated the enormous potential of technology to improve the appeal, effectiveness, cost, and reach of mental health interventions. However, the promise of digital mental health interventions for youth has not yet been realized. Significant challenges have been repeatedly identified, including e...
Numerous reviews and meta-analyses have indicated the enormous potential of technology to improve the appeal, effectiveness, cost, and reach of mental health interventions. However, the promise of digital mental health interventions for youth has not yet been realized. Significant challenges have been repeatedly identified, including engagement, fi...
Overweight and obesity are major causes of worldwide morbidity and mortality. A two-armed randomized controlled trial (n = 104) examined the effectiveness of Hit n Run, a video game based on the principles of Go/No-Go inhibition training, in young adults who reported disinhibited eating. Adults (aged 18 to 30) were randomly assigned to play Hit n R...
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms among youth in most western societies is high. Yet, most adolescents who are experiencing depressive symptoms do not seek help. Low mental health literacy, high stigma, and low social support have been shown to hinder help-seeking. A small number of interventions has been developed to target...
Background:
The prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms among youth in most western societies is high. Yet, most adolescents who are experiencing depressive symptoms do not seek help. Low mental health literacy, high stigma, and low social support have been shown to hinder help-seeking. A small number of interventions has been developed to targ...
Residential care is among the most intensive forms of treatment in youth care. It serves youths with severe behavioral problems and is primarily focused on targeting externalizing problems. Despite best efforts, effect sizes remain moderate, which may be due to the disregarding of internalizing symptoms – in particular anxiety - and to limitations...
Improving diets by stimulating fruit and vegetable consumption might be beneficial, in particular when they substitute energy-dense products. The aim of present study was to investigate whether a health game can be used to positively affect healthy implicit attitudes (IAs) towards food and subsequent food choice behaviour of young adults. A 2 (Time...
Anxiety is highly prevalent in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is inconsistency in studies investigating the prevalence and risk factors of anxiety in children with ASD. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to give an overview of the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in a clinical Dutch sample of children with ASD...
We greatly appreciate the care and thought that is evident in the ten commentaries that discuss our debate paper, the majority of which argued in favor of a formalized ICD-11 gaming disorder. We agree that there are some people whose play of video games isrelated to life problems. We believe that understanding this population and the nature and sev...
We greatly appreciate the care and thought that is evident in the ten commentaries that discuss our debate paper, the majority of which argued in favor of a formalized ICD-11 gaming disorder. We agree that there are some people whose play of video games is related to life problems. We believe that understanding this population and the nature and se...
Successful emotion regulation (ER) is a central aspect of psychosocial functioning and mental health and is thought to improve and be refined in adolescence. Past research on ER has mainly focused on one-time measurements of habitual ER. Linking regulatory strategies to emotions in daily lives is key to understanding adolescents’ emotional lives. U...
In order to enhance young people's motivation to participate in depression and anxiety prevention programs, video games are being developed. However, the conditions under which these games are motivating and by extension more effective are unclear. Therefore, we examine if youth's affective experience changes when they are aware of the mental healt...
Although numerous studies have examined the neuroendocrinology of aggression, the findings are mixed and focused on cortisol and testosterone. We argue that past findings remain inconclusive partly because the key roles of oxytocin and trauma have not been systematically integrated yet. Oxytocin is associated with social behavior and interacts with...
Biofeedback training and game-based biofeedback are increasingly used to improve mental health. When evaluating the effects of biofeedback however, the focus often lies solely on therapeutic outcomes. Meanwhile, it is known that psychological factors such as perceptions of competence, also known as self-efficacy, can significantly influence one's e...
[Read the accepted papers here: https://games4mh.wordpress.com/abstracts/]
The community for research on video games for assessment and intervention for mental health spans multiple disciplines, from cognitive sciences, computer science, and interaction design, to psychology, neurobiology, and medicine. The goal of this workshop is to bring togethe...
Depression affects a large proportion of adolescents and current interventions only have moderate effects. With the potential of video games for emotional and mental health in mind, we developed a video game for rejection sensitivity, which is a major risk factor for depression. A process of intensive collaboration between game designers and mental...
Background
Previous research suggests that it is important to use parental reports when assessing children’s anxiety, but it remains unclear to what extent there are differences between mothers’ and fathers’ scores and whether these potential differences have any repercussions for the psychometric properties of the scale being used. Objective
This...
A large proportion of children experience subclinical levels of anxiety and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) aimed at preventing anxiety disorders is moderately effective. However, most at-risk children do not seek help or drop out of programs prematurely because of stigma, lack of motivation, and accessibility barriers. Applied games have receiv...
Playful competition is an important hallmark of healthy child development. Playful competition facilitates moral learning, rewards perspective-taking skills, and challenges children to healthily regulate unpleasant emotions such as frustration, anger, and jealousy. Despite this, research on the effects of competitive video gaming has focused on ant...
Objective:
Given that many households in western countries nowadays have home access to the Internet, developing health-promoting online interventions has the potential to reach large audiences. Studies assessing usage data of online health interventions are important and relevant but, as of yet, scarce. The present study reviewed usage data from...
Emotion differentiation (ED) refers to the precision with which people can identify and distinguish their emotions and has been associated with well-being in adults. This study investigated ED and its relation with emotional well-being (i.e. depressive symptoms, positivity and negativity intensity and propensity, implicit theories of emotions) in a...
We introduce a mathematical model of embodied consciousness, the Projective Consciousness Model (PCM), which is based on the hypothesis that the spatial field of consciousness (FoC) is structured by a projective geometry and under the control of a process of active inference. The FoC in the PCM combines multisensory evidence with prior beliefs in m...
The effects of video games on children's psychosocial development remain the focus of debate. At two timepoints, 1 year apart, 194 children (7.27-11.43 years old; male = 98) reported their gaming frequency, and their tendencies to play violent video games, and to game (a) cooperatively and (b) competitively; likewise, parents reported their childre...
Past studies have shown that jealousy peaks in adolescence. However, little is known about how and when adolescents experience jealousy in their daily lives. The current study aimed to examine the relation between state jealousy, the more general propensity to feel jealous, the interpersonal contexts in which jealousy arises, and different forms of...
Background Childhood anxiety is a global mental health concern. Interventions are needed that are effective, but also cost less, are more accessible and engage children long enough to build emotional resilience skills through practice. Methods The present randomized controlled study aimed to examine the prevention effects of a neurofeedback video g...
SYNOPSIS
Objective. Parent–child coercive cycles have been associated with both rigidity and inconsistency in parenting behavior. To explain these mixed findings, we examined real-time variability in maternal responses to children’s off-task behavior to determine whether this common trigger of the coercive cycle (responding to child misbehavior) is...
Objective:
The current study assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of a full-body-driven intervention videogame targeted at decreasing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, specifically inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and motor deficiency.
Materials and methods:
The game was tested in a Dutch sample (N = 73) of...
Anxiety disorders are among the most frequently diagnosed mental health problems in children, leading to potentially devastating outcomes on a personal level and high costs for society. Although evidence-based interventions are readily available, their outcomes are often disappointing and variable. In particular, existing interventions are not effe...
Biofeedback games have the potential to make gaming a deeply personal experience by linking the gamespace to each player's physiological state. First, this paper describes the psycho-educational potential of the horror-themed biofeedback game Nevermind. In Nevermind, players' heart rate is continuously read into the game which in turn adapts to the...
