Dungeons & Dragons in Schools: An Underexplored Opportunity for Early Anxiety Support

Abstract

Adolescent anxiety presents a growing challenge for schools, with emotional difficulties affecting educational engagement, attendance and wellbeing before some pupils meet thresholds for specialist mental health support. This creates a need to investigate accessible and non-stigmatising forms of early support within schools. Emerging TTRPG research has described experiences involving social connection, confidence, self-expression and emotional exploration, but direct evidence concerning secondary-aged pupils experiencing emerging or subthreshold anxiety remains limited. This opinion paper brings together findings from existing TTRPG research, mechanisms identified in broader psychological theory and related narrative approaches, and propositions concerning how these may operate through school-based TTRPG participation. Its contribution is a conceptual model linking components of TTRPG participation with five overlapping proposed mechanisms: narrative distance; psychological safety and social connectedness; intrinsic motivation and agency; identity exploration and self-efficacy; and cognitive flexibility and emotional regulation. The paper also outlines an illustrative school-based delivery model and a staged agenda for future research. These pathways are theoretically plausible rather than empirically established, and TTRPG participation should not be assumed to reduce anxiety or replace specialist assessment or treatment. Initial research should establish feasibility, acceptability and safety, including potential adverse experiences, before psychological or educational outcomes are evaluated.