A Collaboration between Healthcare and Esports to Impact Youth Mental Health and Wellness: Evaluating the Presence of Mind Initiative

BACKGROUND: Esports is a rapidly growing industry with a vast reach, and has a largely untapped potential for health interventions that reach young adults. Addressing youth mental health in innovative places is important, particularly given that the COVID-19 pandemic will likely have negative impacts on mental health for years to come. This study reports on an evaluation of Presence of Mind, a mental health initiative embedded into pre-existing esports networks, designed to reach young adult gamers. METHODS: A longitudinal survey was delivered to 18–25-year-old gamers in the United States. Questions assessed knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviors (KABs) related to mental health and mental health stigma. At the follow-up survey, questions measured engagement with the initiative. Analysis to understand potential impacts was conducted in R Studio and Stata. RESULTS: Survey respondents who reported engaging with the initiative performed better than respondents who were not engaged, across various key measures. Respondents engaged with Presence of Mind were nearly twice as likely to agree that there has been an improvement in the way the esports community deals with mental health, showed more confidence in providing mental health support to others, and showed better attitudes toward treatment, counseling, medication and recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Embedding a healthcare-led mental health initiative within pre-existing esports networks appears to be an effective way to support the mental health of young esports players and fans. This strategy has broad applications for other cross-sector partnerships that reach youth audiences, or for expansion to other health topics relevant to young adults.