Play smartly - group intervention: changes in parental reports of child behaviour

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14_EITN_2025_03_Merjonen.pdf

Abstract

The aim was to study whether a new group intervention for elementary school children with neuropsychiatric challenges and their families, who are worried about the children’s digital gaming, changes the children’s behaviour. The three-year Play Smartly project started in 2022 (Pelaa Fiksusti, 2025). There were nine groups, each lasting 13 weeks, including in total 43 children and 54 parents from 38 families. Waitlist-design was used, where part of the families just filled the questionnaires in the beginning and the end of a semester, and had the opportunity to participate in the groups during the following semester. Child’s strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) and questionnaire about child’s digital gaming, including modified game addiction scale (GAS-7), were used. Data was analysed in SPSS with generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis. Regarding child’s digital gaming behaviour, there was decreasing trend after controlling for reporter´s sex and child´s age both measured with GAS-7 (p=0.002) and with problematic digital gaming scale developed in the project (p<0.001). Hyperactivity, conduct problems, peer problems, and total difficulties were lower after the intervention compared to before the intervention (all p<0.05). Although the sample size is small, the results are promising and the intervention seems to have positive effects on the children’s behaviour.

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Keywords

digital game playing, elementary school aged children, intervention with waitlist design, SDQ, GAS-7

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