RAGE-Control: Teaching Emotional Self-regulation Through Videogame Play

Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of Regulate and Gain Emotional Control (RAGE-Control), a biofeedback video game, in combination with brief instruction in relaxation skills as an intervention for symptoms of anger and aggression in children and adolescents. Half of the research participants will learn relaxation techniques and practice them using the RAGE-Control videogame. The other half of the participants will learn relaxation techniques and play a similar videogame without the biofeedback component. The investigators hypothesize that participants in the RAGE-Control group will show a greater reduction in symptoms of anger and aggression than those in the non-RAGE-Control group.

Conditions

• Anger
• Aggression

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Relaxation training plus RAGE-Control

RAGE-Control is a biofeedback videogame in which players shoot at enemies while avoiding allies. The player's baseline heart rate is taken before the game and entered into the computer. During the game, the player wears a heart rate monitor, and if the player's heart rate rises above baseline, they are unable to shoot. The player must use relaxation skills to decrease their heart rate below the baseline before they can resume play. Participants will undergo relaxation training during each of 6 sessions, and then practice the skills they learned while playing the RAGE-Control videogame.

BEHAVIORAL

Relaxation training plus Sham Videogame

The Sham videogame is a videogame in which players shoot at enemies while avoiding allies. The player wears a heart rate monitor during the game, but the heart rate does not affect the functioning of the game in any way. Participants will undergo relaxation training during each of 6 sessions, and then practice the skills they learned while playing the Sham videogame.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry.

  collaborator OTHER

• Harvard University

  collaborator OTHER

• Massachusetts General Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Carrie Vaudreuil, MD · Massachusetts General Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

7 Years

Max Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-06-30

Primary Completion

2017-03-31

Completion

2020-12-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations