Anna Lichtwarck-Aschoffonline
CollaboratorShort bio
I am not so interested in *whether* certain interventions work but *how* they work. That is, I am mainly focusing on underlying processes and mechanisms of change across diagnostic categories and different treatment modalities. Mother of two wild boys!
Top-3 games
- Pool
- Basketball
- Schafkopf
About me
I am born in the southern part of Germany and moved all the way up to the northern part of the Netherlands to study psychology in Groningen. I received my PhD from the University of Groningen at the department of Developmental Psychology in 2008. Currently, I am working as a full professor at Groningen University. My interest in game interventions is mainly driven by the fact that they allow us to gather fine-grained data on how individuals change across game play.
Using an interdisciplinary approach, combining developmental, complexity and clinical science, my ultimate goal is to develop a person-specific research paradigm. The small data dynamic-systems informed approach that underlines my research approach aims at a better scientific understanding of the idiosyncrasies and generalities of treatment processes in real-world care settings but it will also contribute to closing the gap between science and practice. I have been working on clinical data, examining nonlinear change processes and relationship dynamics underlying treatment outcomes for more than five years. A significant part of my research in the past years centers around the hypothesis that the general goal of treatment is to break the rigid state associated with psychopathology and shake loose old patterns, to trigger a qualitative shift towards more healthy and flexible patterns of functioning. Over the years I have investigated this hypothesis in a set of studies in various target groups, treatment contexts, and using different intensive longitudinal data. Recently, we were the first to demonstrate that a temporary destabilization in clients’ daily self-rating were predictive of future clinical transitions, which opens up unprecedented possibilities to inform daily practice about how to dynamically personalize interventions (i.e., better target and timely adapt intervention efforts to the particulars of individual clients).
Projects I’ve worked on
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CategoryDesign | GamingDate09/06/2020Study/CourseLocation
Can I Play Some More? Promoting Adolescent Well-being Through Engaging Video Games
About the projectCommercial video games may offer a cheap and readily available way to help us understand in what way video games can be used to promote adolescent well-being. Excellent targets for this are games that involve social interaction, encourage both positive and negative emotions and are identified by youth themselves as potentially beneficial. By letting youth play several commercial video games in different settings, we can learn how games interact with well-being and motivation in both short and long-term.
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CategoryAnxiety | DepressionDate02/10/2023Study/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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CategoryAnxiety | DepressionDate02/10/2023Study/CourseLocation
MindLight - Childhood Anxiety Prevention
About the projectMany children have difficulties with fearful situations and are anxious. Interventions can help to teach children to cope effectively with anxiety-inducing situations. In our project, we rigorously tested whether an intervention in the form of a video game (MindLight) is effective in significantly reducing anxiety symptoms in children 8-12 years old. We did this by comparing MindLight to 1) a commercial game and 2) the gold-standard, cognitive-behavioural therapy for anxiety (Coping Cat). Furthermore, we evaluated the motivational characteristics of MindLight and for whom (e.g., age and gender differences) it is effective.
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CategoryResilienceDate02/10/2023Study/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.
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CategorySocial MediaDate30/10/2017Study/CourseLocation
Social Media & Mental Health
About the projectSocial media are immensely popular, and - as it happens - a dense source of social information. In this project, we investigate what sort of information and experiences young people encounter on these social media, and how these things relate to their mental wellbeing, as well as how young people's momentary wellbeing relates to their social media behaviours.
Events View all events
My publications
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A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Two Cognitive-Behavioral Programs for Adolescent Girls with Subclinical Depression: A School-Based Program (Op Volle Kracht) and a Computerized Program (SPARX)
Poppelaars, M., Tak, Y. R., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Engels, R. C. M. E., Lobel, A., Merry, S. N., Lucassen, M. F. G., & Granic, I. (2016). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 80, 33-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2016.03.005
Author: Marlou Poppelaars
Upload date: 05-01-2016
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Videospellen: De Positieve Effecten
Granic, I., Lobel, A., Poppelaars, M., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2015). Kind en Adolescent, 36 (1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12453-014-0066-8
Author: Marlou Poppelaars
Upload date: 01-22-2015
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Autonomous and Controlled Motivation in a Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing School-based and Computerized Depression Prevention Programs
Poppelaars, M., Tak, Y. R., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Engels, R. C. M. E., Lobel, A., Merry, S. N., Lucassen, M. F. G., & Granic, I. (2014). In Schouten, B., Fedtke, S., Schijven, M., Vosmeer, M. & Gekker, A. (Eds.), Games for Health 2014 (pp. 125-135). Germany: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-07141-7_17
Author: Marlou Poppelaars
Upload date: 10-29-2014
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Everyone Does It—Differently: A Window into Emerging Adults’ Smartphone Use
Griffioen, N., Scholten, H., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A. et al. (2021). Humanit Soc Sci Commun 8, 177. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00863-1
Author: Nastasia Griffioen
Upload date: 07-20-2021
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The Role of Motivation to Change and Mindsets in a Game Promoted for Mental Health
Wols, A., Poppelaars, M., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., & Granic, I. (2020). Entertainment Computing, 100371.
Author: Aniek Wols
Upload date: 07-07-2020
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Mental Health Outcomes of an Applied Game for Children with Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Non-inferiority Trial
Schoneveld, E.A., Wols, A., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Otten, R., & Granic I. (2020). Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01728-y
Author: Elke Schoneveld
Upload date: 06-24-2020
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Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Biofeedback Game (DEEP) to Reduce Anxiety and Disruptive Classroom Behavior: Single-Case Study
Bossenbroek, R., Wols, A., Weerdmeester, J., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Granic, I., & van Rooij, M. (2020). JMIR Mental Health, 7(3), e16066. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/16066
Author: Aniek Wols
Upload date: 03-24-2020
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A Stimulated Recall Method for the Improved Assessment of Quantity and Quality of Social Media Use
Griffioen, N., Van Rooij, M., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., & Granic, I. (2020). J Med Internet Res 2020;22(1):e15529.
Author: Nastasia Griffioen
Upload date: 01-28-2020
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Preregistration: The Effect of Expectations on Experienced Fun, Mood, State-Anxiety and In-Game Play Behaviours while playing MindLight
Wols, A., Hollenstein, T., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., & Granic, I. (2019). https://osf.io/6gmwv
Author: Aniek Wols
Upload date: 07-05-2019
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What Keeps Them Motivated? Children’s Views on an Applied Game for Anxiety
Schoneveld, E. A., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., & Granic, I. (2019). Entertainment Computing, 29, 69-74.
Author: Elke Schoneveld
Upload date: 03-01-2019
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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. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01837
Author: Marlou Poppelaars
Upload date: 09-10-2018
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The Impact of Explicit Mental Health Messages in Video Games on Players’ Motivation and Affect
Poppelaars, M., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Kleinjan, M., & Granic, I. (2018). The impact of explicit mental health messages in video games on players’ motivation and affect. Computers in Human Behavior, 83, 16-23. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.01.019
Author: Marlou Poppelaars
Upload date: 07-01-2018
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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, 40, 655-668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-018-9684-4
Author: Aniek Wols
Upload date: 06-11-2018
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Preventing Childhood Anxiety Disorders: Is an Applied Game as Effective as a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Based Program?
Schoneveld, E. A., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., & Granic, I. (2017). Prevention Science, 1-13.
Author: Elke Schoneveld
Upload date: 09-27-2017
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A Neurofeedback Video Game (MindLight) to Prevent Anxiety in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Schoneveld, E. A., Malmberg, M., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Verheijen, G. P., Engels, R. C., & Granic, I. (2016). Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 321-333.
Author: Elke Schoneveld
Upload date: 10-01-2016
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The Effect of Expectations on Experiences and Engagement with an Applied Game for Mental Health
Wols, A., Hollenstein, T., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., & Granic (2021). Games for Health, 10(4), 207-219.
Author: Aniek Wols
Upload date: 08-09-2021
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
Professor at McMaster's University & Co-founder of PlayNice Interactive
I am interested in how and why applied games for mental health work, with a specific focus on the influence of one's mindset, motivation and expectations.
PhD-Candidate
I am a Postdoctoral researcher passionate about internalizing psychopathology prevention and the use of technology and innovation for this purpose while stimulating intrinsic motivation. I love to read, cook and bake everything delicious. Working on finishing my dissertation and Two Dots (Level 3682 and counting).
Postdoc
Graduate and psychologist interested in the effect of games on mental health. Likes why-questions, social impact and multidisciplinary collaboration. Bubbly, (not so crazy) cat lady and outdoor enthusiast.
Graduate
Assistant prof. and data geek at the GEMH lab, dynamical modelling, personalisation, wants to put the I back into AI, news junkie, cat lover.
Assistant Professor
Rutger Engels
CEO at Trimbos Institute / Professor Developmental Psychopathology Utrecht University
Marloes Kleinjan
Program Head Epidemiology & Research support at Trimbos Institute / Professor Youth Mental Health Promotion Utrecht University