Exploring the Role of Self-efficacy in Biofeedback Video Games

Biofeedback training and game-based biofeedback are increasingly used to improve mental health. When evaluating the effects of biofeedback however, the focus often lies solely on therapeutic outcomes. Meanwhile, it is known that psychological factors such as perceptions of competence, also known as self-efficacy, can significantly influence one's experience and psychological wellbeing. The current paper examined the role of self-efficacy in the context of biofeedback video games. A pilot study was conducted with DEEP, a Virtual Reality video game that uses respiratory-based biofeedback to help individuals cope with stress and anxiety. Self-efficacy was found to be a significant predictor of physiological regulation, highlighting the importance of taking psychological factors such as self-efficacy into account in the development and evaluation of biofeedback games designed to improve mental wellbeing.

生物反馈（biofeedback）训练与游戏化生物反馈技术正愈发广泛地应用于心理健康改善领域。然而在评估生物反馈的应用效果时，研究焦点往往仅聚焦于治疗结局。与此同时，学界已知诸如能力感知（即自我效能感（self-efficacy））这类心理因素，会对个体的主观体验与心理健康水平产生显著影响。本研究探讨了自我效能感在生物反馈电子游戏场景中的作用。本研究借助一款名为DEEP的虚拟现实（Virtual Reality）电子游戏开展了预实验，该游戏通过基于呼吸的生物反馈技术辅助个体应对压力与焦虑情绪。研究结果显示，自我效能感是生理调节的显著预测因子，这凸显了在开发与评估旨在提升心理健康水平的生物反馈游戏时，需将自我效能感这类心理因素纳入考量范围的重要性。