Community-based Study With 1st-year Secondary Students (n=1104) and Their Environment. It Evaluates a Complex Intervention (Community Actions, Classroom-based Mindfulness for Adolescents, and Online Mindfulness for Adults) to Reduce Problematic Video Game Use and Improve Well-being.

NCT07357792 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: AQUÉJUGAMOS 2025/317
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,668
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this observational, community-based study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention designed to reduce problematic video game use and the risk of video game addiction in adolescents, while promoting active, shared leisure activities and personal and emotional development. The study involves students in the first year of secondary education (approximately 12-13 years old) from multiple schools in Pontevedra (Galicia, Spain), as well as adults from their close environment, including family members, teachers, health professionals, and community representatives. Schools are assigned either to an intervention group or to a control group with similar sociodemographic characteristics. The study is based on a systems and community perspective, assuming that adolescents' video game use is influenced by individual factors (such as impulsivity and emotional regulation), as well as by family, school, and community contexts and the availability of appealing leisure alternatives. For this reason, the intervention consists of three coordinated components that are implemented over time in the intervention schools. The main questions the study aims to answer are: (a) Can a complex intervention combining community participation and mindfulness-based training reduce problematic video game use and the risk of video game addiction in adolescents?; (b) Does classroom-based mindfulness training improve adolescents' mindfulness, emotional well-being, and self-regulation?; (c) Does mindfulness training for adults improve their own well-being and their ability to support adolescents in adopting healthier leisure habits?; and (d) Can a participatory, community-based approach increase adolescents' awareness and use of active, screen-free leisure alternatives? Researchers will compare adolescents from intervention schools with adolescents from control schools, where no intervention is implemented and only data are collected. Outcomes will be measured at three time points: before the intervention, after the intervention, and at follow-up, in order to assess changes over time and the sustainability of effects. Participants will:

• Complete questionnaires at different time points assessing video game use, possible video game addiction, mindfulness, psychological well-being, impulsivity, cyberbullying, social support, and online experiences.
• Take part in a community-based component in which adolescents actively participate in identifying, designing, and promoting leisure activities without screens in their local environment. This process includes the creation of a school-based community group composed of adolescents, teachers, health professionals, family representatives, and community members. Adolescents are involved in participatory activities to map community resources and co-design attractive leisure options, which are later implemented and shared with families and the wider community.
• Participate in a group-based mindfulness and emotional development program delivered in the classroom during school hours. This program consists of structured sessions based on established mindfulness protocols and is designed to help adolescents develop attention skills, emotional awareness, stress management, and self-regulation.
• Access an individual, online mindfulness and emotional regulation program (adults only), which combines mindfulness practices and cognitive-behavioral strategies. This self-guided program is completed over several weeks and aims to improve adults' well-being and provide tools to better support adolescents. By integrating community action, school-based intervention, and adult involvement, this study seeks to evaluate a comprehensive and sustainable approach to preventing problematic video game use and promoting healthier lifestyles during adolescence

Conditions

Video Game Addiction; Gaming Disorder

Keywords

gaming disorder; video game addiction; mindfulness; social support; cyberbullying; impulsivity; well-being

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Problematic Video Game Use and Potential Video Game Addiction

  Change in problematic video game use and potential video game addiction among adolescents, assessed using validated self-report instruments. Outcomes are measured through the Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents and the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test. The minimum score of the Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents is 7 and the maximum score is 35; higher scores indicate greater severity of problematic use or addiction-related symptoms. The minimum score of the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test is 0 and the maximum score is 10; higher scores indicate greater serverity of problematic use or addiction-related symptoms.

  One year and at follow-up (6 months after study completion)

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Mindfulness in Adolescents

  One year and at follow-up (6 months after study completion)

• Psychological Well-Being in Adolescents

  One year and at follow-up (6 months after study completion)

• Impulsivity in Adolescents

  One year and at follow-up (6 months after study completion)

• Cyberbullying Involvement

  One year and at follow-up (6 months after study completion)

• Perceived Social Support

  One year and at follow-up (6 months after study completion)

Other Outcomes (3)

• Adherence to the Community Component

  Throughout the intervention period (an average of 1 year).

• Adherence to the Group-Based Mindfulness Program (Adolescents)

  Throughout the intervention period (an average of 1 year).

• Adherence to the Individual Online Program (Adults)

  Throughout the intervention period (an average of 8 months).

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm include adolescents enrolled in the first year of secondary education from schools assigned to the intervention group, as well as adults from their close environment. Adolescents receive a complex, multi-component intervention consisting of a community-based component promoting active, shared, and screen-free leisure, and a classroom-based mindfulness and emotional development program. Adults from the adolescents' environment (family members and selected community, educational, and health professionals) participate in an individual, online mindfulness and emotional regulation program. All components are implemented in addition to usual school activities.

Behavioral: Community-Based Participatory Leisure Intervention; Behavioral: Classroom-Based Mindfulness and Emotional Development Program (Adolescents); Behavioral: Online Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation Program (Adults)

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in this arm include adolescents enrolled in the first year of secondary education from schools assigned to the control group. These participants do not receive any of the intervention components and continue with usual school activities. They participate only in data collection at the predefined assessment time points.

Interventions

Community-Based Participatory Leisure Intervention BEHAVIORAL

This intervention consists of a community-based component designed to promote active, shared, and screen-free leisure among adolescents. It is implemented through the creation of a school-based community group composed of adolescents, teachers, health professionals, family representatives, and community members. Adolescents actively participate in identifying community leisure resources, co-designing leisure activities, and implementing and disseminating these activities within their local environment using participatory action research methodologies.

Intervention Group

Classroom-Based Mindfulness and Emotional Development Program (Adolescents) BEHAVIORAL

This intervention is a structured, classroom-based mindfulness and emotional development program delivered to adolescents during school hours. The program is based on established mindfulness protocols and consists of multiple sessions aimed at improving attention, emotional awareness, stress management, and self-regulation. Sessions combine experiential mindfulness practices, reflective activities, and group discussions adapted to early adolescence.

Intervention Group

Online Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation Program (Adults) BEHAVIORAL

This intervention is an individual, self-guided online program for adults from the adolescents' environment, including family members and selected educational, health, and community professionals. The program combines mindfulness practices and cognitive-behavioral strategies to improve emotional regulation, stress management, and well-being, and to strengthen adults' capacity to support adolescents in developing healthy leisure habits.

Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 11 Years - 15 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• FOR ADOLESCENTS:
• Age between 11 and 15 years at the time of enrollment.
• Enrollment in the first year of secondary education in a participating school.
• Attendance in a classroom assigned to either the intervention or control group.
• Provision of written informed consent by a parent or legal guardian.
• Provision of assent by the adolescent, when applicable according to age and regulations (14 years old).
• FOR ADULTS:
• Being a parent, legal guardian, teacher, health professional, or community member linked to an adolescent in the intervention group.
• Willingness to participate in the adult component of the study.
• Provision of written informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• FOR ADOLESCENTS:
• Age below 11 years or above 15 years at the time of enrollment.
• Lack of written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian.
• Refusal or inability of the adolescent to provide assent, when applicable.
• Inability to complete the study questionnaires due to language or comprehension barriers that cannot be reasonably accommodated.
• FOR ADULTS:
• Lack of written informed consent.
• Inability to access or use the digital platform required for the online intervention.
• Inability to complete study questionnaires due to language or comprehension barriers.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fundacin Biomedica Galicia Sur: lead
• Universidad de Zaragoza: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Centro de Saúde de Rosalía de Castro

Vigo, Pontevedra, 36201, Spain

Location

Related Publications (9)

• Mettler, J., Mills, D.J., Heath, N.L. (2020). Problematic Gaming and Subjective Well-Being: How Does Mindfulness Play a Role? International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 18(3), 720-736.

  BACKGROUND

• Kim J, Lee S, Lee D, Shim S, Balva D, Choi KH, Chey J, Shin SH, Ahn WY. Psychological treatments for excessive gaming: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2022 Nov 28;12(1):20485. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-24523-9.

  PMID: 36443408 BACKGROUND

• Ji Y, Yin MXC, Zhang AY, Wong DFK. Risk and protective factors of Internet gaming disorder among Chinese people: A meta-analysis. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2022 Apr;56(4):332-346. doi: 10.1177/00048674211025703. Epub 2021 Jul 10.

  PMID: 34250835 BACKGROUND

• Király, O., Griffiths, M.D., & Demetrovics, Z. (2015). Internet Gaming Disorder and the DSM-5: Conceptualization, Debates, and Controversies. Current Addiction Reports, 2(3), 254-262.

  BACKGROUND

• King DL, Delfabbro PH, Billieux J, Potenza MN. Problematic online gaming and the COVID-19 pandemic. J Behav Addict. 2020 Apr 29;9(2):184-186. doi: 10.1556/2006.2020.00016. Print 2020 Jun.

  PMID: 32352927 BACKGROUND

• Andrade-Pérez, B.A., Guadix-García, I.G., Rial-Boubeta, A.R., & Suárez-Lorenzo, F.S. (2021). El impacto de la tecnología en la adolescencia: relaciones, riesgos y oportunidades. UNICEF.

  BACKGROUND

• Gao YX, Wang JY, Dong GH. The prevalence and possible risk factors of internet gaming disorder among adolescents and young adults: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses. J Psychiatr Res. 2022 Oct;154:35-43. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.06.049. Epub 2022 Jul 19.

  PMID: 35926424 BACKGROUND

• Derevensky JL, Hayman V, Lynette Gilbeau. Behavioral Addictions: Excessive Gambling, Gaming, Internet, and Smartphone Use Among Children and Adolescents. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2019 Dec;66(6):1163-1182. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2019.08.008.

  PMID: 31679605 BACKGROUND

• Rial Boubeta, A. R. (2022). Adolescencia, tecnología, salud y convivencia: un estudio integral y proactivo desde los propios adolescentes. Fundación Barrié.

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Technology Addiction; Cyberbullying; Impulsive Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior, Addictive; Compulsive Behavior; Behavior; Bullying; Aggression; Behavioral Symptoms; Harassment, Non-Sexual; Social Behavior

Study Officials

• Ana M. Clavería Fontán, Primary Care Health Technician

  Servicio Gallego de Salud

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: This is a community-based, non-blinded, controlled interventional study with parallel groups. Allocation is performed at the classroom level within participating schools. The study uses a longitudinal design with repeated measurements (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up) to assess the effectiveness of a multi-component intervention implemented under real-world conditions.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 12, 2025
• First Posted: January 22, 2026
• Study Start: September 26, 2025
• Primary Completion: December 11, 2025
• Study Completion: February 1, 2026
• Last Updated: January 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

ES (1)