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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0062

A tabletop role-playing game improved multisystemic resilience and mental health in Asian children diagnosed with ADHD: a cluster randomized controlled trial

TABLETOP ROLE-PLAYING GAME ENHANCED MULTISYSTEMIC RESILIENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH OF ASIAN CHILDREN WITH ADHD: A CLUSTER-RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

A six-session, group-based tabletop role-playing game reduced externalizing difficulties and inattention symptoms, increased prosocial behavior in children diagnosed with ADHD, and reduced parental stress, with some effects sustained at the 2-month follow-up.

The aim was to test a group-based tabletop role-playing game (TRPG) intervention designed to support multisystemic resilience and mental health in children diagnosed with ADHD in Hong Kong, where high academic expectations and stigma are prominent. In this cluster randomized controlled trial, 13 groups from 11 schools (5 to 6 young people per group) were randomized to the intervention or waitlist arm; a total of 73 young people participated (mean age 13.0 years; 94% male), and 86% of parent informants were female. Across six sessions of a fantasy scenario set in a magic school, players actively practiced emotion regulation, teamwork, problem-solving, and resilience skills; parent and child questionnaires were administered at pretest, posttest, and the 2-month follow-up. Time x group effects from pretest to posttest were significant for externalizing difficulties (F=5.02, ηp2=0.07, p<0.05), combined internalizing and externalizing difficulties (F=7.84, ηp2=0.10, p<0.01), ADHD inattention (F=10.32, ηp2=0.13, p<0.01), emotion regulation (F=4.31, ηp2=0.06, p<0.05), and parental stress (F=7.92, ηp2=0.10, p<0.01). Mean changes in the intervention group were -1.56 for externalizing difficulties (p<0.001), -2.20 for total difficulties (p<0.05), -2.73 for ADHD inattention (p<0.01), +0.94 for prosocial behavior (p<0.01), and -5.49 for parental stress (p<0.001). In analyses considering pretest, posttest, and follow-up together, time x group effects remained significant for prosocial behavior (F=3.11, ηp2=0.04), ADHD inattention (F=4.28, ηp2=0.06), and parental stress (F=3.45, ηp2=0.05). The poster reports medium to large effect sizes at posttest and states that these were sustained at the 2-month follow-up; according to the authors, by strengthening interpersonal support and prosocial behavior, the intervention exemplifies a shift from a deficit-focused approach toward a paradigm of nurturing competent and connected young people.

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