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Systematic, theoretically-grounded development and feasibility testing of an innovative, preventive web-based game
Meghan L Marsac1, Flaura K Winston2, Aimee K Hildenbrand3
1The Center for Injury Research and Prevention, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania.
Insights
A systematic approach created the Coping Coach intervention for children experiencing medical trauma. Pilot data show this e-health tool is feasible, acceptable, and engaging for young users and their parents.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Digital Health Interventions
- Traumatic Stress Research
Background:
- Millions of children annually face acute medical events, necessitating effective recovery resources.
- Web-based interventions offer scalability but require significant development resources.
- A systematic development approach can optimize e-health intervention cost-effectiveness and impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the evidence base and program theory for the Coping Coach intervention.
- To present pilot data on the feasibility and acceptability of the Coping Coach intervention.
Main Methods:
- An evidence-based program theory model was developed, linking intervention content to outcomes.
- Systematic user-testing with 42 children (ages 8-12) and their parents informed iterative design.
- The intervention targeted traumatic stress prevention following acute medical events.
Main Results:
- Early prototypes required revisions due to functionality challenges.
- Children demonstrated positive engagement throughout the iterative development process.
- Final pilot testing confirmed the intervention's feasibility, high user engagement, and satisfaction.
Conclusions:
- The systematic development approach yielded a functional and well-accepted e-health intervention (Coping Coach).
- This systematic methodology can inform the development of future e-health interventions.
- Future studies will assess Coping Coach's efficacy in reducing trauma symptoms and improving quality of life.
Background:
Millions of children are affected by acute medical events annually, creating need for resources to promote recovery. While web-based interventions promise wide reach and low cost for users, development can be time- and cost-intensive. A systematic approach to intervention development can help to minimize costs and increase likelihood of effectiveness. Using a systematic approach, our team integrated evidence on the etiology of traumatic stress, an explicit program theory, and a user-centered design process to intervention development.
Objective:
To describe evidence and the program theory model applied to the Coping Coach intervention and present pilot data evaluating intervention feasibility and acceptability.
Method:
Informed by empirical evidence on traumatic stress prevention, an overarching program theory model was articulated to delineate pathways from a) specific intervention content to b) program targets and proximal outcomes to c) key longer-term health outcomes. Systematic user-testing with children ages 8-12 (N = 42) exposed to an acute medical event and their parents was conducted throughout intervention development.
Results:
Functionality challenges in early prototypes necessitated revisions. Child engagement was positive throughout revisions to the Coping Coach intervention. Final pilot-testing demonstrated promising feasibility and high user-engagement and satisfaction.
Conclusion:
Applying a systematic approach to the development of Coping Coach led to the creation of a functional intervention that is accepted by children and parents. Development of new e-health interventions may benefit from a similar approach. Future research should evaluate the efficacy of Coping Coach in achieving targeted outcomes of reduced trauma symptoms and improved health-related quality of life.
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