A Qualitative Study of Practitioners’ Views on Family Involvement in Treatment Process of Adolescent Internet Addiction

Abstract

Despite emerging evidence of the effectiveness of a family-focused approach as an Internet addiction (IA) treatment modality for adolescents, little research has been done to explore family involvement in the treatment process from the clinician’s perspective. This study employed a qualitative design to examine practitioners’ views pertaining to the roles and challenges of family participation in IA intervention. In total, 10 practitioners working with adolescents with IA were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcribed interviews. Three overreaching themes were synthesized: That family involvement in IA intervention is challenging yet important; shifting the focus from the adolescent to the relationship; and provision of individualized services and intervention to address the heterogeneous nature of cases. The findings show that family participation in IA treatment is successful in enhancing positive outcomes. The needs of adolescents with IA and family members are addressed through individual counseling and psychoeducation, respectively. Conjoint therapy sessions foster effective communication, improve family interactions and functioning, and restore relationships. However, caution regarding family dynamics is required when considering whether family involvement is appropriate. Practitioners need to establish therapeutic alliances and be flexible when working with family members in terms of the degree and arrangement of participation.

Requirements of a Group Intervention for Adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder in a Clinical Setting: A Qualitative Interview Study

“…The experts of the current study stated that involving parents in the therapeutic process can have a positive impact on symptom reduction in affected adolescents by different mechanisms. Thus, our results are consistent with the findings of Lo et al's qualitative study where interviewed experts described family involvement as challenging but essential for successful interventions for internet addiction, including IGD [33]. For this, parents must learn to set appropriate limits and expectations.…”

“…We are aware of only one study that has addressed clinical professionals' perspectives on the treatment of adolescents with IGD. Lo et al [33] conducted a qualitative interview study on the role of family involvement in the therapy of adolescents with internet addiction (including IGD) in Hong Kong. The results suggest that family-based interventions facilitate the treatment process and encourage positive treatment outcomes by, e.g., supporting effective communication within the family.…”

La participación desde el Trabajo Social: una aproximación conceptual en el marco de los servicios sociales de atención básica

“…El método de trabajo de investigación participativa fortalece la identificación de necesidades, los procesos de autogestión y el impulso para el ejercicio de acciones cooperativas que permitan la transformación de las situaciones (Lo, 2021;Alonso, 2002). En esta misma línea, existen sólidos argumentos para involucrar los conocimientos de los usuarios Mar ta Arranz, Joan Casas, Andrés Lorenzo y usuarias de los servicios en el proceso de construcción de la teoría del Trabajo Social (Beresford, 2000).…”

Partnership between educational institution, family and community for the recovery of adolescents with addictive behaviors

“…[6]. Atunci când se implică în terapie și familiile adolescenților cu comportamente addictive, se poate obține o rată de implicare a acestora de 93% și 77 % dintre ei finalizează tratamentul [18], se favorizează comunicarea eficientă, se îmbunătățesc interacțiunile și funcționarea familiei și se restabilesc relațiile [13]. Referitor la implicarea adulților în sesiunile de consiliere alături de copiii lor, trebuie avute în vedere următoarele aspecte [1]: 1.…”

“…Bunăstarea și reziliența familiilor și a comunităților sunt indisolubil legate [12]. Deși este recomandată o abordare preventivă bazată pe familie pentru dependența de Internet și consumul de substanțe pentru adolescenții cu factori familiali negativi [19], este necesară precauție cu privire la dinamica familiei atunci când se ia în considerare dacă implicarea familiei este adecvată [13].…”