{"id":35580,"date":"2026-08-10T02:01:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T21:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35580"},"modified":"2026-08-10T02:01:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T21:01:28","slug":"researchers-turned-video-game-into-tool-to-help-teens-manage-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35580","title":{"rendered":"Researchers Turned Video Game Into Tool to Help Teens Manage Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>As anxiety disorders continue to affect a growing number of adolescents, researchers are exploring whether a therapeutic video game can help teens strengthen the attention skills commonly taught in conventional therapy.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-eco-rescue-and-how-does-it-treat-teen-anxiety\">What Is Eco-Rescue and How Does It Treat Teen Anxiety?<\/h2>\n<p>Eco-Rescue is a therapeutic video game built to strengthen attention control in teenagers, training the brain to focus, filter distractions and respond more effectively to stress. Players take on the role of pilots restoring damaged environments, tracking moving objects, adapting to unexpected changes and managing multiple tasks at once, with difficulty rising as they progress.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers at <a href=\"https:\/\/news.fiu.edu\/2026\/fiu-researchers-test-video-game-as-anxiety-treatment-for-teens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FIU\u2019s Center for Children and Families<\/a>, in collaboration with the University of Geneva, are studying whether that gameplay can ease anxiety symptoms. \u201cAdolescents are already spending a lot of time engaging with digital media,\u201d said <strong>Jeremy Pettit<\/strong>, psychology professor and executive director of the center. \u201cThis project allows us to meet them where they are while delivering an intervention grounded in science.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"link-related article link-related__with-thumb\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article__thumbnail related-ab-test\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrity-news\/news\/inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-source=\"01\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=400%2C225&amp;quality=40&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=200%2C113&amp;quality=55&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=300%2C169&amp;quality=55&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=400%2C225&amp;quality=40&amp;strip=all 400w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=600%2C338&amp;quality=40&amp;strip=all 600w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=800%2C450&amp;quality=40&amp;strip=all 800w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=900%2C506&amp;quality=40&amp;strip=all 900w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=1000%2C563&amp;quality=40&amp;strip=all 1000w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=1200%2C675&amp;quality=40&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=1600%2C900&amp;quality=40&amp;strip=all 1600w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=1800%2C1012&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 1800w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1220842438-inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain.jpg?crop=719px%2C102px%2C1281px%2C722px&amp;resize=1920%2C1080&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 770px) calc(100vw - 6em), 200px\" alt=\"GettyImages-1220842438 Inside Stress Relief Biology and How Fitness Rewires the Brain\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"article__content\">\n<h3 class=\"article__title\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article__title-link related-ab-test\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/celebrity-news\/news\/inside-stress-relief-biology-and-how-fitness-rewires-the-brain\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-source=\"01\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"related-badge\">Related: <\/span><span class=\"related-title\">Inside the Biology of Stress Relief and How Fitness Rewires Your Brain<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n\t\t\tWhen stress builds up, the gym is often the last place anyone wants to go. But a growing body of research suggests that fitness may be one of the most effective tools available for managing stress, lifting mood and supporting long-term mental health. From neighborhood walks to structured strength training, physical activity changes brain chemistry [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"how-does-the-fiu-clinical-trial-for-eco-rescue-work\">How Does the FIU Clinical Trial for Eco-Rescue Work?<\/h2>\n<p>FIU is the first U.S. site testing Eco-Rescue in a clinical trial, recruiting 50 adolescents ages 11 to 15, with 150 participants expected across all research sites. Teens are placed in three groups, one playing Eco-Rescue at home, another playing a different video game without attention-training components and a third using no game during the six-week study.<\/p>\n<p>Those assigned to Eco-Rescue complete about 30 minutes of gameplay four days a week, roughly 12 hours total. Researchers will then measure changes in attention control, emotional regulation and anxiety symptoms. \u201cThis study is testing a new generation of attention-based treatment,\u201d Pettit said. \u201cIf it proves effective, it could offer adolescents another option for managing anxiety in their daily lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-are-researchers-targeting-adolescents-ages-11-to-15\">Why Are Researchers Targeting Adolescents Ages 11 to 15?<\/h2>\n<p>The 11-to-15 focus is intentional because anxiety disorders frequently begin in early adolescence, a period when the brain is still developing and may be especially responsive to targeted interventions. Pettit\u2019s earlier work suggests that improving attention control may help ease anxiety symptoms, even for some teens who have not benefited from traditional treatments.<\/p>\n<div id=\"news-block\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form  \">\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-narrow.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"newsletter-form__background background-narrow\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-wide.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"newsletter-form__background background-wide\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-signup__success\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<h3>Thank You!<\/h3>\n<p>You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Unlike therapeutic games built for challenges such as ADHD, Eco-Rescue was designed around the specific cognitive processes tied to anxiety rather than broad brain training. The University of Geneva team contributes expertise in cognitive training and game design, while FIU brings its experience running clinical trials and studying anxiety in young people, Pettit said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-common-are-anxiety-disorders-in-teens\">How Common Are Anxiety Disorders in Teens?<\/h2>\n<p>Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent emotional disorders in adolescents, according to 2025 data from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/adolescent-mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Health Organization<\/a>. An estimated 4.1 percent of 10-to-14-year-olds and 5.3 percent of 15-to-19-year-olds experience an anxiety disorder, and they are more common in older adolescents than younger ones.<\/p>\n<p>Depression affects an estimated 1.3 percent of adolescents ages 10 to 14 and 3.4 percent of those ages 15 to 19, and it shares symptoms with anxiety including rapid and unexpected mood changes, WHO reports. The organization notes that anxiety and depressive disorders \u201ccan profoundly affect school attendance and schoolwork,\u201d that social withdrawal can worsen isolation and loneliness, and that depression can lead to suicide.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As anxiety disorders continue to affect a growing number of adolescents, researchers are exploring whether a therapeutic video game can help teens strengthen the attention skills commonly taught in conventional therapy. What Is Eco-Rescue and How Does It Treat Teen Anxiety? Eco-Rescue is a therapeutic video game built to strengthen attention control in teenagers, training&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2167789295-researchers-turned-video-game-into-tool-to-help-teens-manage-anxiety.jpg?w=1200&h=630&crop=1&quality=86&strip=all","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}