Liam playing Eco-Rescue with Natalia Prieto, research assistant at FIU's Center for Children and Families. Credit: Brenda Ortiz/FIU's Center for Children and Families
For many teenagers, anxiety is more than occasional stress or nerves. It can make school feel overwhelming, strain friendships and turn everyday situations into something that feels unmanageable.
When treating anxiety, therapists often teach young people how to shift their attention away from spiraling worries and back to the present moment. It might involve focusing on what they can see, hear or feel around them rather than becoming stuck in anxious thoughts.
Researchers at FIU's Center for Children and Families are testing whether a therapeutic video game called Eco-Rescue can help teens practice that skill and reduce anxiety by strengthening attention control, helping the brain focus better, filter out distractions and recover more quickly from stressful moments.
The project is a collaboration with researchers at the University of Geneva, and FIU is the first site in the U.S. to test the game in a clinical trial.
