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NCT Number: NCT06991621

The Effect of Situation Puzzle Games on Nursing Students' Death Anxiety and Meaning in Life

Goal of this interventional study

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of a scenario-based puzzle educational game on death anxiety and meaning in life among nursing students. It aims to answer the following key questions:

Can the scenario-based puzzle educational game enhance nursing students' sense of meaning in life?

Can the scenario-based puzzle educational game reduce death anxiety in nursing students?

What are nursing students' experiences and perceptions of this educational game?

Study design Researchers will compare the intervention group (participating in the game) with a control group (receiving death education manuals) to evaluate the effectiveness of the game-based intervention.

Participants will:

Be recruited through campus posters

Be randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group and complete baseline questionnaires

In the control group: Receive death education manuals twice weekly for 3 weeks

In the intervention group: Participate in group sessions (5 students per group) to play the scenario-based puzzle game twice weekly for 3 weeks

Complete follow-up questionnaires and participate in qualitative interviews regarding their experiences with manual-based education or the game intervention after the 3-week intervention period

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Key information

Conditions

Death Anxiety Necrophobia

Age range

18 month and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

School of Nursing, China Medical University

Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Wenna Qian, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+8613314021865

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Third-year full-time undergraduate nursing students
  • Completed clinical observation training but not yet entered clinical internship phase
  • Aged ≥18 years
  • Provide informed consent and voluntarily participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

  • Participated in similar death education interventions within the past 3 months
  • Diagnosed with severe mental or psychological disorders
  • Currently on a leave of absence (academic or personal)

Treatment and study plan

Puzzle game

Other

Scenario-based puzzle game sessions (group format)

Manual Education

Other

Standardized death education manual distribution

Primary outcomes

  1. Death Anxiety

    Time frame: Week 0, Week 3

    A 15-item self-report scale developed by psychologist Templer (1967/1970) measuring death-related distress.

    Dimensions: Affective (Items 1,3,10,13,14), Stress/Pain (Items 4,5,6,9,11), Time Awareness (Items 8,12), Cognitive (Items 2,7,15)

    Scoring: Dichotomous (Yes/No) with 9 forward-scored and 6 reverse-scored items (Items 2,3,5,6,7,16*). Total score range: 0-15 (higher = greater anxiety).

    Reliability: Test-retest reliability (3-week) = 0.83; KR-20 = 0.76 (original English version).

  2. Meaning in Life

    Time frame: Week 0, Week 3

    A 10-item scale (Steger et al.) assessing two dimensions:

    Presence of Meaning (5 items): Perceived life purpose

    Search for Meaning (5 items): Active pursuit of meaning

    Scoring: 7-point Likert (1="Strongly Disagree" to 7="Strongly Agree"). Higher scores indicate stronger meaning.

    Reliability: Cronbach's α = 0.878 (total), 0.850 (Presence), 0.907 (Search)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Wenna Qian

CONTACT

[email protected]

13314021865

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

China Medical University, China

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Mechanisms and Design Framework Study of Gamified Education in Professional Identity Formation for Medical Undergraduates

Acronym: SPGI

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
May 28, 2025
Registry last updated
May 28, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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