SMILE: A computer game enhancing the well-being of youth and young adults (2024)

Project value (in PLN):
25841706
Project value (other currencies):
EUR 6,018,376.25
SWPS University's contribution (other curencies):
EUR 338,837.50
Lead w tytule:
SMILE
Tytuł - rozwinięcie:
A computer game enhancing the well-being of youth and young adults

international

research

financed by EU

ongoing

principal investigator / project leader

Ewelina Smoktunowicz

Ph.D. / Assistant Professor

[emailprotected]

psychologist

Full bio

project value: PLN 25,841,706 (EUR 6,018,376.25)

SWPS University’s budget: EUR 338,837.50

funding source: European Commission

discipline: psychology

research center: StresLab Stress Research Center

location: Warsaw

duration: 2023 2024 2025 2026

As part of an international research consortium, researchers from SWPS University’s StresLab will develop an online platform and a mobile app, which will provide mental health support for adolescents and young adults.

The project is funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe (Horizon 2022) fund, project no. 101080923.

Project objectives

The goal of the SMILE project is to support mental health and wellbeing of youth and young adults. As part of the project, researchers will develop a platform, which will include psychological tools geared at increasing mental resilience, cognitive flexibility, sense of self-efficacy, critical thinking, self-regulation, and confidence.

The main tool on the platform is the SMILE game. The game consists of five short modules, each focused on a different psychological resource. The SMILE game is designed for healthy young people and aims to improve their ability to cope with the stress of everyday life.

The game is co-created by the target users — individuals aged 10–24.

The project is part of the Horizon Europe initiative carried out by a consortium of 14 partner institutions, representing 9 European countries. The team from SWPS University is led by Ewelina Smoktunowicz, Ph.D..

Methodology

The study will be conducted in three phases across seven countries: Poland, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

During the first phase, participating adolescents and young adults, their parents, teachers and educators, will evaluate selected tools offered by the SMILE game. This will help researcher to make necessary adjustments to the tools and ensure that the target audience contribute their input to the final design of the game.
During the second, and the main phase of the project, researcher will pilot the SMILE game. In Poland, they will invite several primary and secondary schools, and universities, to participate. The researchers plan to recruit 300 student participants. The participants will be asked to use the SMILE platform, primarily the game, over a specified period of time. They will also be required to regularly complete surveys concerning their well-being, using their smartphones.
During the third phase of the study, the researchers will conduct interviews with selected teachers, clinicians, and parents of the younger participants to gather their opinions on the SMILE platform and its potential applications in their daily work.

Research team

Leśnierowska, Magdalena

Bio

Tak

Permanent employee

Tak

Specialization

psychologist

First and last name

Magdalena Leśnierowska

Academic degree or title

Ph.D. / Assistant Professor

Role in the Faculty

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Role in the Department

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Role in the Institute

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Role in the Research Center

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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

City

warszawa

Discipline

psychology

Position

adiunkt

Faculty

Array

Institute

Array

Ph.D. / Assistant Professor Magdalena Leśnierowskapsychologist

Jan Maciejewski

Magdalena Pietrzak

Practical applications

The researcher hope that the results of the SMILE project will make a significant contribution to the development of digital tools that enhance well-being and mental health of young people. If the game proves to be acceptable and helpful, the researchers will work towards making it more widely available.

Another goal of the project is to help develop safer and more supportive digital environment for young people. The researchers also want to show that new technologies, which have a bad reputation for harmful impact on the society, can also be used for the benefit of people.

Contact

SWPS University's Project Coordinator e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.