According to a new study published today in NEJM catalyst.
Presence of Mind launched in May 2020 with the goal of reaching teens and young adults with positive mental health messages in places where they spend much of their time: online gaming and esports platforms. The initiative includes two seasons of the live Twitch Stream series with featured players; mental health experts and influencers; creator-led YouTube video content from some of esports’ favorite players sharing insights, positivity, and personal mental health messages; and a series of free interactive online training sessions to help address critical mental health issues. As of May 2022, more than 51,000 teen and young adult players have accessed training sessions and learned how to better manage their mental health and support their friends when they need it most.
As part of the initiative, Kaiser Permanente and Cloud9 collaborated with PGP (The Public Good Projects), a nonprofit public health organization responsible for some of the most successful health campaigns in the country. PGP conducted an independent longitudinal study that tracked the program’s impact on mental health stigma reduction and measured behavior change within the gaming community. PGP surveyed gamers and esports fans ages 18-25 in the fall of 2020 before committing to Presence of Mind and again in the summer of 2021.
The study authors found that respondents who participated in Presence of Mind reported a greater understanding of mental health issues than those who did not participate in the initiative. The study also found that respondents were:
- More than twice as likely to report knowing what advice to give to a friend with a mental health condition
- Nearly twice as likely to agree there has been an improvement in how the esports community approaches mental health
- Nearly twice as likely to show better attitudes toward mental health treatment, including counseling, medication, and recovery.
Our ongoing goal with Presence of Mind is to help reduce the stigma of mental health conditions within the communities we serve, share community-developed and clinician-informed mental health and addiction care training resources, and build a safe and open space for conversations and empathy. We are pleased but not surprised by the results of this study showing that engaging with youth and young adults in settings where they spend a significant amount of their time can help increase their understanding of mental health problems and improve their attitudes towards treatment. including counseling and recovery. .”
Don Mordecai, MD, Kaiser Permanente national leader for mental health and wellness
“Our study finds that embedding a healthcare-led mental health initiative within already existing large-scale professional esports networks can be an effective way to support the mental health of young players and sports fans. electronics,” said Joe Smyser, PhD, executive director. official, P.G.P. “We believe these findings fill a gap in the evidence base and demonstrate that this type of initiative is a novel way to reach a predominantly young male audience, who are traditionally less likely to engage in mental health care.”
According to the study authors, Presence of Mind is an initiative that can be used as a model for similar partnerships to reach young audiences, such as in the sports or music industries, or to expand into other health topics relevant to young adults. The study authors also say these findings could help inform future efforts to address mental health in the esports community, such as examining ways to include parents as a priority group for messaging.
“We’re pleased to see real-world evidence that Presence of Mind is helping drive more open conversations about mental health at Cloud9 and within the gaming community,” said Jack Etienne, Founder and CEO of Cloud9. “The success of this initiative can show others in our industry and beyond that it is possible to engage youth and young adults in positive conversations about mental health and help promote a more inclusive environment for all.”
The Presence of Mind initiative with Cloud9 is Kaiser Permanente’s latest effort focused on addressing the mental health and wellness needs of its members, communities and the public. Since 2016, Kaiser Permanente’s Find Your Words campaign has helped address the stigma that keeps many people from talking about mental health and wellness. Find Your Words offers a variety of resources including information on building resilience and reducing stress, and screening tools to inform further conversations about diagnosis and treatment, as well as ways to share inspirational stories, videos, and artwork from the site with others.
Source:
Magazine Reference:
Bonnevie, E. et al. (2022). A collaboration between healthcare and esports to impact youth mental health and well-being: An evaluation of the Presence of Mind initiative. NEJM catalyst. doi.org/10.1056/CAT.22.0050.
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