Examining the Impacts of Parent-Child Interactive Activities
Condition: Emotional Regulation
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effects of online and offline play of games
      on the Mightier game platform, in comparison to the effects of Mightier online play alone.
    

Detailed description: 
      Mightier is a mobile app-based biofeedback video game platform that facilitates emotion
      regulation skill-building among children ages 6-14. The technology behind Mightier's mobile
      app has been validated in two independent sham-controlled randomized controlled trials, where
      the investigators have seen decreases in clinical symptoms of aggression and disruptive
      behaviors, as well as lowered family stress without adverse events.

      Mightier will soon introduce offline Mightier Family Games to its product line. Mightier
      Family Games will include offline, interactive components that have not previously been
      incorporated into Mightier play. Studies have shown that improvements in child behavior and
      child-parent relationships are among the many benefits of family play.

      For the proposed study, families with no prior Mightier exposure will engage in different
      types of Mightier play for six weeks, to demonstrate the effects of online and offline
      Mightier play in comparison to the effects of Mightier online play alone. Mightier will
      recruit families through social media, then Mightier will randomly assign participants to one
      of two groups: a Mightier online play only group, and a Mightier online and offline play
      group. The investigators will aim to enroll 20 participants in each group.
    

Intervention name(s): Mightier Family Games; Mightier online gameplay
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Mightier Family Games includes five offline card games that can be played by two or more people. During card game play, one player wears the Mightier heart rate monitor, and can see a representation of their heart rate on a separate screen within the Mightier app. Each game includes elements that are tied to heart rate.; Mightier is a video-game-based biofeedback intervention that capitalizes on children's love of video games to increase emotional awareness and facilitate emotion regulation practice through heart rate (HR) control. Each family receives a Mightier Kit (Mighty Band heart rate monitor, dedicated Mightier tablet unless the family prefers to use their own device) and the Mightier App. Children wear a "Mighty Band" heart rate monitor on their arm while they play any one of 26+ games. As their heart rate rises the games become more difficult. For example, during a cooking game, smoke may appear on the screen and obscure the player's view. Children can either opt into an explicit cool down activity (deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, crossing the midline, or visualization) or cool down on their own.
Other intervention name(s): Mightier
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment