Effects of a Manualized Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction

NCT01434589 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: BE 2248/10-1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 187
• Locations: 2 countries
• Sites: 4

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to 1) determine the efficacy of manualized Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer game Addiction (STICA), assess 2) the durability of treatment response in these patients and 3) the impact on associated psychiatric symptoms, e.g. social anxiety and depression.

Conditions

Addiction

Keywords

internet addiction; computer game addiction; STICA; short-term treatment; psychotherapy; internet and computer game addiction

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in internet or computer game addiction (self-rating)

  4 and 10 months after randomization

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Change/Remission of internet or computer game addiction (expert rating)

  4 and 10 months after randomization

• Preoccupation with critical internet applications or computer games (hours per week)

  4 and 10 months after randomization

• Improvement of negative consequences (e.g. social communication, psychosocial well being)

  4 and 10 months after randomization

• Improvement of depressive symptoms (changes in BDI-II)

  4 and 10 months after randomization

• Improvement of social fear and avoidance (changes in Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale)

  4 and 10 months after randomization

Study Arms (2)

Wait list control

NO INTERVENTION

STICA Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: STICA Intervention

Interventions

STICA Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Manualized Short-term Treatment for Internet and Computer game Addiction (STICA) based on cognitive behavior-therapy (combining individual and group therapy)

STICA Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 17 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• clinical diagnosis of internet or computer game addiction
• internet or computer game addiction according to the AICA-Checklist(Assessment of Internet and Computer game addiction, expert Rating)
• a score \>/= 7 in the AICA-S (Assessment of Internet and Computer game addiction, Self Rating)
• patients with primary diagnoses of internet or computer game addiction
• if currently on psychotropic medications, no change in medications and dosages in the past 2 months and during STICA treatment
• if currently off all psychotropic medications, patient has been off at least 4 weeks
• at least 4 weeks off from last psychotherapy and no other ongoing psychotherapy

You may not qualify if:

• current Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) \< 40
• severe major depression (BDI-II Score \>/= 29)
• current alcohol or drug addictions
• personality disorders: borderline, antisocial, schizoid and schizotypal
• lifetime diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar or organic mental disorder
• current unstable medical illness

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz: lead

Study Sites (4)

Anton Proksch Insitut, Therapy Centre for the Treatment of Addictions

Vienna, 1230, Austria

Location

University Medical Center Mainz, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Outpatient clinic for behavioral addictions

Mainz, 55131, Germany

Location

Central Insitute for Mental Health

Mannheim, 68159, Germany

Location

University Medical Center Tübingen

Tübingen, 72076, Germany

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Wolfling K, Muller KW, Beutel M. [Reliability and validity of the Scale for the Assessment of Pathological Computer-Gaming (CSV-S)]. Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 2011 May;61(5):216-24. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1263145. Epub 2010 Sep 27. German.

  PMID: 20878599 BACKGROUND

• Wolfling K, Muller KW, Dreier M, Ruckes C, Deuster O, Batra A, Mann K, Musalek M, Schuster A, Lemenager T, Hanke S, Beutel ME. Efficacy of Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Oct 1;76(10):1018-1025. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.1676.

  PMID: 31290948 DERIVED

• Jager S, Muller KW, Ruckes C, Wittig T, Batra A, Musalek M, Mann K, Wolfling K, Beutel ME. Effects of a manualized short-term treatment of internet and computer game addiction (STICA): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2012 Apr 27;13:43. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-13-43.

  PMID: 22540330 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Behavior, Addictive; Internet Addiction Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior; Behavior; Technology Addiction

Study Officials

• M. E. Beutel, Prof. Dr.

  University Medical Center Mainz, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Univ.-Prof. Dr.med. Dipl.-Psych. M.E. Beutel

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 8, 2011
• First Posted: September 15, 2011
• Study Start: January 1, 2012
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2017
• Study Completion: August 1, 2017
• Last Updated: October 11, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-10

Locations

AU (1); DE (3)