Treatment outcomes of a CBT-based group intervention for adolescents with Internet use disorders

Abstract

Background and aimsInstances of Internet use disorders (IUD) including Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and non-gaming pathological Internet use (ng-PIU) have the extent that they are now a growing mental health issue. Individuals suffering from IUD show a large range of symptoms, high comorbidities and impairments in different areas of life. To date there is a lack of efficient and evidence-based treatment programs for such adolescents. The present registered single-arm trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03582839) aimed to investigate the long-term effects of a brief manualized cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for adolescents with IUD.MethodsN = 54 patients (16.7% female), aged 9–19 years (M = 13.48, SD = 1.72) received the CBT group program PROTECT+. IUD symptom severity (primary outcome variable) as well as comorbid symptoms, risk-related variables and potentially protective skills (secondary outcome variables) were assessed at pretest, posttest, as well as 4 and 12 months after admission.ResultsPatients showed a significant reduction in IUD symptom severity at the 12-month follow-up. Effect sizes were medium to large depending on the measure. Beyond the statistical significance, the clinical significance was confirmed using the reliable change index. Secondary outcome variables showed a significant reduction in self-reported depression, social anxiety, performance anxiety and school anxiety as well as in parental-reported general psychopathology.Discussion and conclusionsThe present study shows long-term effects of a manual-based CBT treatment for adolescents suffering from IUD. The results indicate that even a 4-session brief intervention can achieve a medium to large effect over 12 months. Future work is needed to confirm the efficacy within a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

The Association Between Internet Addiction and Anxiety in Nursing Students: A Network Analysis

“…In conclusion, this NA study revealed (1) academic declines due to Internet use, (2) depression/moodiness/nervousness only while being off-line, (3) school grades suffering due to Internet use and (4) others' complaints about one's time spent online as the most prominent nodes and potentially useful targets for curriculum and/or clinical interventions designed to help nursing students who are struggling with co-occurring IA and anxiety. On this basis, interventions involving additional academic support and/or cognitive behavioral therapy for internet addiction (CBT-IA) may have utility in addressing academic declines, poor time management, distress related to being offline, and internet preoccupation among at-risk or distressed nursing students (57)(58)(59). Additionally, analyses of the IA-anxiety network structure provided an empirically based foundation for future studies investigating the development and maintenance of comorbid IA and anxiety symptoms among nursing students.…”

Depression and Social Anxiety Predict Internet Use Disorder Symptoms in Children and Adolescents at 12-Month Follow-Up: Results From a Longitudinal Study

“…Data collection took place within the scope of two longitudinal studies: An indicated prevention study [PROTECT study; ClinicalTrials.gov :NCT02907658 ( Lindenberg et al, 2017a , submitted)] and an early intervention study [PROTECT+ study; ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT03582839 ( Szász-Janocha et al, 2020a , b )]. The ethics votes for both investigations were obtained by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Education Heidelberg (Az.…”

Intervention Programs for the Problematic Use of the Internet and Technological Devices: A Systematic Review

“…The dependence on video games reported by the parents showed a similar pattern (M pretest = 33.69 and M postest = 27.79), except for a small rebound at 4 months (M 4 month follow-up = 29.72) that decreased again at 12 months (M 12 month follow-up = 26.80), which corroborates the effectiveness of the program. In contrast, the program of Walther et al [50] managed to reduce the frequency and duration of video games in the experimental group compared to the control group from the beginning of the intervention (T1) (M frequency = 8.14 vs. 8.36, respectively, and M duration = 1.06 vs. 0.95, respectively) until immediately after its application (T2) (M frequency = 6.96 vs. 7.80, respectively, and M duration = 0.99 vs. 1.06, respectively). However, these authors report an increase in both measures at follow-up (T3) in both groups (experimental and control groups) (M frequency = 8.04 and 9.35, respectively; M duration = 1.18 and 1.29, respectively).…”

“…Longitudinal studies, such as those of Szász-Janocha et al [50], observed that the baseline scores for compulsive Internet use and dependence on video games (M pretest = 23.49 and M = 16.75, respectively) decreased at 4 months after applying the PROTECT + program, (M 4 months follow-up = 21.45 and 14.58, respectively), and at 12 months (M 12 months follow-up = 14.14 and 9.75, respectively). The dependence on video games reported by the parents showed a similar pattern (M pretest = 33.69 and M postest = 27.79), except for a small rebound at 4 months (M 4 month follow-up = 29.72) that decreased again at 12 months (M 12 month follow-up = 26.80), which corroborates the effectiveness of the program.…”