Ross Shegog, Christine Markham, Melissa Peskin, Robert C Addy, Sara Dube, Diane Santa Maria, Susan Tortolero Emery, Johnny M Wilkerson, Elizabeth Baumler, Laura Armistead, Pooja Chaudhary, Hsing-Yi Song, Angela Spencer, Jeffery McLaughlin
{"title":"The \"Secret of Seven Stones\": Short-Term Efficacy of an Online Intergenerational Sexual Health Education Game for Early Adolescents and Their Parents.","authors":"Ross Shegog, Christine Markham, Melissa Peskin, Robert C Addy, Sara Dube, Diane Santa Maria, Susan Tortolero Emery, Johnny M Wilkerson, Elizabeth Baumler, Laura Armistead, Pooja Chaudhary, Hsing-Yi Song, Angela Spencer, Jeffery McLaughlin","doi":"10.1177/2161783X251370416","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b><i>Objectives:</i></b> Intergenerational games offer a potential channel to impact parent-youth sexual health communication. The \"Secret of Seven Stones\" (SSS) is an 18-level online adventure game and parent website designed to engage parents and youth (11-14 years) in conversations about healthy dating relationships and sexual behavior and to provide sexual health skills training to youth. Study hypotheses were that SSS exposure would increase sexual health parent-child communication, increase youth intentions to delay sexual debut, and reduce youth exposure to situations that promote sexual activity. <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> SSS was evaluated in the homes of parent-youth dyads randomly assigned to intervention (<i>n</i> = 40) and comparison (<i>n</i> = 45) conditions. Online surveys were used to collect baseline and three-month follow-up data on dyadic sexual health communication, determinants for communication and youth sexual behavior, and game usability ratings. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Dyads comprised parents (<i>n</i> = 83, 47% white, 93% female, 44.4 ± 5.8 years) and youth (<i>n</i> = 83, 42% white, 54% male, 12.9 ± 1.1 years, and 96% sexually inexperienced). Frequency of parent-youth sexual health communication and youth communication self-efficacy increased in those playing SSS compared with those in the comparison group (<i>P</i> < 0.01). Youth perceived parent-youth communication as more open and demonstrated significant improvement in condom and human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection knowledge and perceptions of parents' beliefs about sex (<0.001). Usability ratings were higher on ease, credibility, and helpfulness (all >78%) but lower on duration and appeal (<56%). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> This study demonstrated the utility of an in-home intergenerational sexual health education game to impact parent-youth communication by short-term follow-up. Further investigation of longer-term behavioral impact is indicated.</p>","PeriodicalId":47401,"journal":{"name":"Games for Health Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Games for Health Journal","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2161783X251370416","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: Intergenerational games offer a potential channel to impact parent-youth sexual health communication. The "Secret of Seven Stones" (SSS) is an 18-level online adventure game and parent website designed to engage parents and youth (11-14 years) in conversations about healthy dating relationships and sexual behavior and to provide sexual health skills training to youth. Study hypotheses were that SSS exposure would increase sexual health parent-child communication, increase youth intentions to delay sexual debut, and reduce youth exposure to situations that promote sexual activity. Materials and Methods: SSS was evaluated in the homes of parent-youth dyads randomly assigned to intervention (n = 40) and comparison (n = 45) conditions. Online surveys were used to collect baseline and three-month follow-up data on dyadic sexual health communication, determinants for communication and youth sexual behavior, and game usability ratings. Results: Dyads comprised parents (n = 83, 47% white, 93% female, 44.4 ± 5.8 years) and youth (n = 83, 42% white, 54% male, 12.9 ± 1.1 years, and 96% sexually inexperienced). Frequency of parent-youth sexual health communication and youth communication self-efficacy increased in those playing SSS compared with those in the comparison group (P < 0.01). Youth perceived parent-youth communication as more open and demonstrated significant improvement in condom and human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection knowledge and perceptions of parents' beliefs about sex (<0.001). Usability ratings were higher on ease, credibility, and helpfulness (all >78%) but lower on duration and appeal (<56%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated the utility of an in-home intergenerational sexual health education game to impact parent-youth communication by short-term follow-up. Further investigation of longer-term behavioral impact is indicated.
期刊介绍:
Games for Health Journal is the first peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing the impact of game research, technologies, and applications on human health and well-being. This ground-breaking publication delivers original research that directly impacts this emerging, widely-recognized, and increasingly adopted area of healthcare. Games are rapidly becoming an important tool for improving health behaviors ranging from healthy lifestyle habits and behavior modification, to self-management of illness and chronic conditions to motivating and supporting physical activity. Games are also increasingly used to train healthcare professionals in methods for diagnosis, medical procedures, patient monitoring, as well as for responding to epidemics and natural disasters. Games for Health Journal is a must for anyone interested in the research and design of health games that integrate well-tested, evidence-based behavioral health strategies to help improve health behaviors and to support the delivery of care. Games for Health Journal coverage includes: -Nutrition, weight management, obesity -Disease prevention, self-management, and adherence -Cognitive, mental, emotional, and behavioral health -Games in home-to-clinic telehealth systems