Aniek Wolsonline
Short bio
PhD-candidate interested in how and why applied games for mental health work.
Top-3 games
- Monument Valley
- Overcooked
- Settlers of Catan
About me
In 2016 I graduated from the Research Master Behavioural Science at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. For my master thesis, entitled ‘In-game play behaviours during an applied video game for anxiety prevention predict succesful intervention outcomes’ I investigated mechanisms of change in the in-house designed video game Mindlight. I have been awarded with a Research Talent grant from NWO (the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) and I will be continuing my gaming research at Radboud University and within the Games for Emotional and Mental Health-lab (GEMH-lab) as a PhD candidate.
Projects I’ve worked on
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CategoryAnxietyDate20/10/2018Study/CourseLocation
Are Improvements in Anxiety Associated with How Children Play MindLight?
About the projectThe video game MindLight has been found to be an effective anxiety prevention program (see project: MindLight - Childhood Anxiety Prevention). However, we don’t know whether the clinical techniques incorporated in the game were responsible for the observed changes in anxiety symptoms. In this project we examined how children play MindLight, to what extent they interact with the clinical techniques in the game and how that relates to their anxiety improvements.
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CategoryGamingDate20/10/2018Study/CourseLocation
Nonspecific Factors in Video Games for Mental Health
About the projectMore and more games are designed to promote mental health. If these games are found to be effective, it is important to investigate which factors are responsible for the improvements in mental health. Most often, this type of research focuses on the specific clinical techniques that were designed into the game. However, from the clinical literature it is known that, for instance, expectations, motivation, and one’s mindset about the malleability of symptoms play a major role in positive intervention outcomes. In my project I aim to investigate these nonspecific factors and examine how we can manipulate these factors in order to optimize video games for mental health.
My updates
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@Aniek Wols - 19-10-2018
Check out our Fails of this week! @GEMH_Lab #failfridays https://t.co/92XUkPhS4a
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@Aniek Wols - 19-10-2018
Stressing out about unofficial mortgage updates, while 2.5 hours later the official update tells me there is nothin… https://t.co/IoQW4nu7iA
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@Aniek Wols - 17-10-2018
RT @Gryphire: In our latest @GEMH_Lab blog, we discuss how social media and fear of failure may interact! Want to help contribute to a heal…
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@Aniek Wols - 12-10-2018
RT @anouk_tuijnman: Loved seeing all the tweets from my colleagues @GEMH_Lab! Awesome people being honest about when they didn't feel aweso…
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@Aniek Wols - 12-10-2018
I'm in the organizing committee for the 'winter concert' of our music ensemble. We had to cancel our concert last m… https://t.co/m3yXVTxrdj
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@Aniek Wols - 11-10-2018
RT @peacefulbeingol: Congratulations to @khazaal_yasser and the team of scientists who put together this awesome resource about #videogames…
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@Aniek Wols - 09-10-2018
RT @Gryphire: New @GEMH_Lab blog out now, on the risk factors contributing to the development of a 'fear of misfortune'. #fearoffailure htt…
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@Aniek Wols - 06-10-2018
RT @TomHollenstein: Great foundational research. Providing challenge (rather than fostering avoidance) is the way through distress and game…
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@Aniek Wols - 05-10-2018
I told my students that this week's assigment was not going to be graded, while the course manual said that the ass… https://t.co/3MCv34NgwC
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@Aniek Wols - 05-10-2018
RT @PlayNiceInst: New study from @GEMH_Lab suggests vulnerable young people (high in stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms) are NOT turned o…
Events View all events
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UNTILL02April04AprilAbout the event
SIPS Conference on Placebo Studies
LocationFaculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of Leiden University
The SIPS conference is devoted to medical, psychological, and neurobiological research on placebo effects, and will also address ethical dilemmas and treatment options.
My publications
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In-Game Play Behaviours during an Applied Video Game for Anxiety Prevention Predict Successful Intervention Outcomes
Wols, A., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Schoneveld, E. A., & Granic, I. (2018). Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-018-9684-4
Author: Aniek Wols
Upload date: 06-11-2018
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Aniek Wols on Google Scholar
Games for Emotional and Mental Health
Author: Aniek Wols
Upload date: 09-17-2018
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Explicit Mental Health Messaging Promotes Serious Video Game Selection in Youth with Elevated Mental Health Symptoms
Poppelaars, M., Wols, A., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., & Granic, I. (2018). Frontiers in Psychology.
Author: Marlou Poppelaars
Upload date: 09-10-2018
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Explicit Mental Health Messaging Promotes Serious Video Game Selection in Youth with Elevated Mental Health Symptoms
Poppelaars, M., Wols, A., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., & Granic, I. (2018). Frontiers in Psychology.
Author: Marlou Poppelaars
Upload date: 09-10-2018
Worked together with
Professor and Chair of the Developmental Psychopathology department in the Behavioural Science Institute; writer; voracious podcast consumer; mother of two upstanding little gamers
Director of GEMH Lab
PhD-candidate and psychologist interested in the effect of games on mental health in youth. Likes why-questions, social impact and multidisciplinary collaboration. Bubbly, (not so crazy) cat lady and outdoor enthusiast.
PhD-Candidate
Assistant Professor at the Developmental Psychopathology Department, mainly interested in general processes and principles of clinical change; mother of two wild boys.
Assistant Professor
PhD Candidate passionate about psychopathology prevention, intrinsic motivation and the use of video games for this purpose. Loves to read, cook and making sure that bomb does not explode.
PhD-Candidate
Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Associate Professor - Collaborator