Research
Our main sources for research used to develop our approach to serve the well-being of gamers are The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the journal of Addictive Behaviors and Psychology of Addictive Behaviors which both covers behavioral and psychosocial research in a broad perspective.
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors is a journal by the American Psychological Association, APA Division 50 (Society of Addiction Psychology) which publishes peer-reviewed original articles related to the psychological aspects of addictive behaviors.
Addictive Behaviors
Addictive Behaviors is an international peer-reviewed journal publishing high quality human research on addictive behaviors and disorders. They primarily publish behavioral and psychosocial research, but their articles also span the fields of psychology, sociology, psychiatry and neuroscience amongst other fields of research.
ACBS: Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science is an organization who provides information about several good resources to learn more about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is one of our main methodologies used to support the well-being of gamers.
The ACBS is the leading resource to learn more about ACT and the methodology itself is listed as evidence-based by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the United States federal government amongst other organizations and public bodies.
PubMed
The PubMed database is a free resource supporting the search and retrieval of biomedical and life sciences literature with the aim of improving health – both globally and personally. PubMed has been available to the public online since 1996 and it was developed and is maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), located at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Core Methodologies
Treatment
ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ACT is a framework and a form of psychotherapy that combines acceptance strategies with commitment and behavior-change strategies to increase psychological flexibility. This methodology is valid to help gamers regardless of purpose why they are playing, as it enables a person to successfully handle and accept their emotions & experiences and take actions to lead a meaningful and fulfilling life overall while also getting the most out of their gaming.
Impact Measurement
Positive Psychology: The PERMA Model
Positive Psychology is a global area of study with research findings that Positive Psychology Interventions produced improvements in well-being and lowered levels of depression. HealthyGaming uses the five elements of the PERMA model to measure and review the impact of our treatment and prevention strategies.
PERMA is a mnemonic of the five elements of Martin Seligman’s well-being theory where each element can be gained and elevated through gaming. They all contribute to well-being and are defined and measured independently of one and other, which enables us to measure our impact in five separate standalone criterias.
P: Positive Emotions
Positive emotions include a wide range of feelings such as happiness and joy. It also includes emotions like excitement, satisfaction and pride amongst others. We work with these emotions because they are frequently connected to positive outcomes.
E: Engagement
Engagement refers to involvement in activities that draws and builds upon one’s interests. Activities that we truly enjoy and care about can result in a complete engagement. We work with Engagement to enable gamers to maintain control while entering a flow state that creates a sense of full immersion and energized focus.
R: Relationships
Relationships are a critical part of fueling emotions in both good and bad times. By working with Relationships, we have the opportunity to help gamers successfully nurture relationships with their family, friends, the people around them as well as other gamers.
M: Meaning
Also known as purpose, meaning prompts the question of “why”. Figuring out the “why” puts everything from your work, education, relationships and gaming into context. By working with meaning, we empower gamers to continue striving and working for their desired goals despite the potential challenges they may face along the way.
A: Accomplishments
Accomplishments are a definition of something you have achieved. Helping gamers work with achievements and goals will amplify the other elements of PERMA, forming a version of success that creates meaning and well-being for gamers.