2 - (SYM 124) Adapting a Cbt-based Video Game for Inuit Youth in Nunavut: Lessons Learned from a Community-directed Mental Wellness Project in the Canadian North

Abstract Body

Background: CBT is widely recognized as an important tool for addressing anxiety and depression in young people (Oud et al., 2019), but some of the most vulnerable groups of youth lack access to it. For example, Inuit youth in the Arctic show a disproportionate risk for self-harm, based on significant historic and current adversities leading to concerning mental health needs (Anang et al., 2019). Yet remote communities often lack prevention and intervention programs. It is thus imperative to develop novel ways to provide accessible mental health support.

Methods: This study evaluated a culturally adapted asynchronous CBT e-intervention, the Inuit (I)-SPARX serious game, in a trial across the territory of Nunavut. I-SPARX is an Inuit adaptation of the SPARX serious game, originally developed with Māori youth (Merry et al., 2012). The game teaches users how to challenge unhelpful thoughts, stressful feelings, and problematic behaviours in a computer-based fantasy adventure. The cultural adaptation by a youth council was guided by the principles of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ), and Two-Eyed Seeing indigenous research methodologies. Youth (n=118, aged 13-24) from 14 communities across Nunavut tested I-SPARX during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a mixed methods approach, using a waitlist control design, pre-and post-intervention surveys and interviews were conducted online and in-person. A 30-item Inuit-specific, community-designed questionnaire assessed five wellness domains: finding hope; being active; dealing with emotions; overcoming problems/challenging unhelpful thoughts; and general wellness. Responses collected through the survey platform, Qualtrics, were analysed using a linear mixed-effects model at 3 timepoints. Youth were also asked to comment on the I-SPARX skills they found most useful in their daily lives.   

Results: Responses to 21 of 30 questions within the outcome measure’s five wellness domains showed statistically significant positive changes (p < .05) post-game play. Youth ranked communication skills, listening skills, and problem solving as the most useful content and participants shared examples of constructively using I-SPARX skills post-game play.  I-SPARX thus showed promise for supporting Inuit youth mental wellness. Asynchronous serious games, based on empirically supported CBT e-tools and developed in collaboration with local advisors to ensure cultural specificity, may be a useful option for supporting remote communities where mental health resources are scarce.