Merrick, Alyssia, Li, Wendy Wen, and Miller, Dan J. (2024) A Study on the Efficacy of the Tabletop Roleplaying Game Dungeons & Dragons for Improving Mental Health and Self-Concepts in a Community Sample. Games for Health Journal, 13 (2). pp. 128-133.

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Abstract

Tabletop gaming has seen a rise in popularity over the past ten years, with an influx of interest following the Coronavirus pandemic. Limited research has explored the impact of tabletop roleplaying games on mental health and self-concepts such as self-esteem and self-efficacy. This study employed a repeated-measures design with four measurement points to quantitatively evaluate the effect of playing Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) on mental health and self-concepts in a community sample. Twenty-five community participants took part in 8 weeks of D&D gameplay (one 1 hr session per week), completing pre-, mid-, and post-intervention surveys. Eighteen of these participants also completed a one-month follow up measure. Participants demonstrated significant decreases in depression, stress, and anxiety and significant increases in self-esteem and self-efficacy over the study period. As such, D&D may have potential utility as a wellbeing intervention or prevention program.

Item ID:	81119
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2161-7856
Keywords:	mental health, dungeons and dragons, tabletop gaming, tabletop roleplaying games, self-concept
Copyright Information:	© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. This is the accepted version of the following article: A Study on the Efficacy of the Tabletop Roleplaying Game Dungeons & Dragons for Improving Mental Health and Self-Concepts in a Community Sample, Alyssia Merrick, Wendy Wen Li, and Dan J. Miller, Games for Health Journal 2024 13:2, 128-133, which has now been formally published in final form at Games for Health Journal at https://doi.org/10.1089/g4h.2023.0158. This original submission version of the article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers’ self-archiving terms and conditions.
Date Deposited:	22 Nov 2023 00:40
FoR Codes:	52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5203 Clinical and health psychology > 520399 Clinical and health psychology not elsewhere classified @ 50% 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified @ 50%
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