Tidier. e-sport; a recovery oriented intervention in forensic psychiatry

Abstract

Introduction Recently video gaming, have attracted considerable attention for its possible beneficial therapeutic effects, the possibility for testing behavior in safe artificial environments and as a tool for professionals and patients to build specific competencies for the everyday life. Also, a substantial amount of research suggests that videogaming might improve the participants social and cognitive skills and emotional regulation. There is little or no evidence that videogaming increases long term aggression or leads to physical aggression. At a medium secure forensic psychiatric in-patient ward, the patients and staff engage in weekly E – Sport sessions (primarily counterstrike) to further the recovery process. Objectives To provide a standardized description of how E-sport is organized and used in the recovery process among forensic psychiatric patients. Methods The Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist and guide is widely used to in health research to describe interventions in clinical trials and other health research contexts. By use of TIDieR we describe a newly developed E-sport intervention, in which staff members and patients in a medium secure forensic psychiatric ward engage in weekly E-Sport sessions (primarily counterstrike) to improve patient–staff relationship. Results The E-sport intervention is detailed by use of the 12 TIDieR items and practical experiences and insights will be described. Conclusions This standardized and detailed description of how is used in a recovery-oriented process in forensic psychiatry can be used for future studies that wishes to implement the intervention or for research studies replicating the treatment. Conflict of interest No significant relationships.