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A short-term manual cognitive-behavioral therapy program combining group and individual interventions for the treatment of Internet addiction and computer games has been effective, according to the results of a randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry.
"A growing body of research has revealed high prevalence rates for [internet addiction] from 3% to 6%, " Klaus Wolfling, PhD, of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, and his colleagues wrote. "Epidemiological studies and data mainly from treatment registrants have linked [internet addiction] psychosocial problems, psychopathological disorders, poor physical health and the deterioration of the quality of life. "
To determine the effectiveness of short-term CBT for internet addiction and computer games, the investigators randomly badigned 143 male outpatients with Internet addiction to the treatment group or control group listed. on the waiting list. The CBT program sought to find functional Internet use and consisted of 15 weekly group sessions and up to eight 2-week individual sessions.
The researchers looked at the participants for the purpose of self-evaluation evaluation of Internet addiction and computer games (AICA-S; main result) as well as addictive symptoms. self-reported internet time spent on weekdays, psychosocial functioning and depression (secondary outcomes) to baseline, 2 and 4 months after treatment and, for treatment group only, 6 months after treatment .
Overall, 69.4% of men in the treatment group achieved remission, compared to 23.9% of the control group. The badysis revealed a much higher probability of remission in the treatment group compared with the control group on the waiting list (OR = 10.1, 95% CI, 3.69-27.65) after adjustment to the initial severity of Internet addiction, comorbidity, treatment center and age.
At six-month follow-up, 29 of the 36 treatment group participants (80.6%) scored below the Internet dependence threshold, according to the study.
The researchers also observed significant primary effects on treatment and control of waiting lists, as well as on interactions between time and treatment for self-reported internet addiction scores and by experts. , as well as the time spent online during the weekend. In addition, they discovered significant primary effects on depression.
"[Short-term treatment for internet and computer game addiction] could serve as a reference as a non-pharmacological intervention and be used as a standard condition in future trials ", wrote Wölfling and his colleagues. "Future studies should put a clear focus on tracking data collection and implementing effective strategies to ensure higher response rates." – by Savannah Demko
Disclosure: The authors do not report any relevant financial information.
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