Olivia Metcalf

University of Melbourne, Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Faculty Member

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My PhD investigated excessive gaming and my research areas of interest are the psychological, cognitive and physiological effects of regular and excessive use of technology. I currently work as a research fellow in the area of post-traumatic mental health.

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Papers by Olivia Metcalf

Skills for Psychological Recovery: Evaluation of a post-disaster mental health training program

Disaster Health, 2015

Efficacy of fifteen emerging interventions for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review.

Although there is an abundance of novel interventions for the treatment of posttraumatic stress d... more Although there is an abundance of novel interventions for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often their efficacy remains unknown. This systematic review assessed the evidence for 15 new or novel interventions for the treatment of PTSD. Studies that investigated changes to PTSD symptoms following the delivery of any 1 of the 15 interventions of interest were identified through systematic literature searches. There were 19 studies that met the inclusion criteria for this study. Eligible studies were assessed against methodological quality criteria and data were extracted. The majority of the 19 studies were of poor quality, hampered by methodological limitations, such as small sample sizes and lack of control group. There were 4 interventions, however, stemming from a mind-body philosophy (acupuncture, emotional freedom technique, mantra-based meditation, and yoga) that had moderate quality evidence from mostly small- to moderate-sized randomized controlled trials. The active components, however, of these promising emerging interventions and how they related to or were distinct from established treatments remain unclear. The majority of emerging interventions for the treatment of PTSD currently have an insufficient level of evidence supporting their efficacy, despite their increasing popularity. Further well-designed controlled trials of emerging interventions for PTSD are required. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Veteran and military mental health: the Australian experience.

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PTSD - an update for general practitioners.

Impulsivity and related neuropsychological features in regular and addictive first person shooter gaming

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2013

Putative cyber addictions are of significant interest. There remains little experimental research... more Putative cyber addictions are of significant interest. There remains little experimental research into excessive use of first person shooter (FPS) games, despite their global popularity. Moreover, the role between excessive gaming and impulsivity remains unclear, with previous research showing conflicting findings. The current study investigated performances on a number of neuropsychological tasks (go/no-go, continuous performance task, Iowa gambling task) and a trait measure of impulsivity for a group of regular FPS gamers (n=25), addicted FPS gamers (n=22), and controls (n=22). Gamers were classified using the Addiction-Engagement Questionnaire. Addicted FPS gamers had significantly higher levels of trait impulsivity on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale compared to controls. Addicted FPS gamers also had significantly higher levels of disinhibition in a go/no-go task and inattention in a continuous performance task compared to controls, whereas the regular FPS gamers had better decision making on the Iowa gambling task compared to controls. The results indicate impulsivity is associated with FPS gaming addiction, comparable to pathological gambling. The relationship between impulsivity and excessive gaming may be unique to the FPS genre. Furthermore, regular FPS gaming may improve decision making ability.

Physiological arousal deficits in addicted gamers differ based on preferred game genre

European Addiction Research, 2013

Background/Aims: There has been significant discussion surrounding the psychopathology of excessi... more Background/Aims: There has been significant discussion surrounding the psychopathology of excessive gaming and whether it constitutes an addiction. The current study investigated physiological and subjective levels of arousal in addicted and non-addicted gamers of two genres and the relationship between sensation seeking and gaming addiction.
Methods: Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and skin conductance were recorded at baseline, during gaming for 15 min and after gaming in 30 massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) and 30 first-person shooter (FPS) male gamers. Gamers were identified as addicted using the Addiction Engagement Questionnaire. Sensation seeking was measured using the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking.
Results: Addicted MMORPG gamers (n = 16) dis- played significant decreases in cardiovascular activity during gaming compared to baseline and showed significant in- creases after gaming. Addicted FPS gamers (n = 13) had significant increases in BP during gaming which decreased significantly after gaming. In comparison, non-addicted MMORPG gamers (n = 14) had significant decreases in HR during gaming, whereas BP in non-addicted MMORPG and FPS gamers (n = 17) increased during gaming and after gaming. There were no significant relationships between sensation seeking and addiction.
Conclusion: There are physiological arousal deficits in addicted gamers, and these patterns differ according to the genre of game played.

Attentional bias in excessive massively multiplayer online role-playing gamers using a modified Stroop task

There is considerable dispute regarding the nature of excessive or problematic Internet-related b... more There is considerable dispute regarding the nature of excessive or problematic Internet-related behaviour and whether it constitutes a clinical addiction. Classification of excessive gaming is hindered by a lack of experimental research investigating behavioural responses from gamers and comparing these patterns to those found in established addictions. We investigated whether an attentional bias for gaming-related words existed for addicted Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Gamers (MMORPGers) identified using the Addiction–Engagement Questionnaire.Forty frequent MMORPGers (15 female) and 19 non-MMORPGers (eight female) completed a computerised modified Stroop task comprised of game-related, negative and neutral word lists, Addiction–Engagement Questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21, gaming-related variables. The results indicated that addicted MMORPGers had significantly longer reaction times to negative and MMORPG words compared to neutral words, whereas highly engaged and non-MMORPG participants showed no such bias. The presence of an attentional bias in addicted MMORPGers is comparable with research investigating this behavioural response in established addictions.► Addicted gamers showed an attentional bias whereas highly engaged gamers did not. ► Addicted gamers were identified using a polythetic method. ► Negative relationship was found between attentional bias and degree of addiction. ► No differences in depression, anxiety or stress between addicted gamers and controls.

Independence in the processing of first-and second-order motion signals at the local-motion-pooling level

Vision research, Jan 1, 2010

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