A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Group Gaming Interventions for Individuals With Problematic Gaming Behavior and Gaming Disorder.

NCT07363850 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: NZhong-008
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 100
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This is a randomized, parallel-group, two-arm study design registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. The study divides participants into an intervention group and a control group in the same ratio. The participants in the intervention group will receive a series of game-based activities and treatment. Firstly, we will distribute the recruitment advertisements for this intervention program in the school, including the project introduction, registration code, and contact details. Secondly, if students are interested in this project, they need to screen the code, and completely fill in personal information, and the screening questionnaire. Thirdly, students reaching the inclusion criteria and their parents will be invited to participate in a project briefing session and obtain their informed consent. Lastly, three times assessments in the whole process will be conducted, preintervention(T0), post-intervention(T1), and at a three-month(T3) follow-up. Importantly, participants can quit the project at any time during the whole process.

Conditions

Gaming Disorder

Keywords

Gaming Disorder

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• the severity of gaming disorder

  Description: Measured by Gaming Disorder Screening Scale

  baseline, two months after intervention

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• average daily gaming hours

  baseline, two months after intervention

• frequency of gaming sessions

  baseline, two months after intervention

• anxiety severity

  baseline, two months after intervention

• depression severity

  baseline, two months after intervention

• self-esteem

  baseline, two months after intervention

Study Arms (2)

intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: group gaming interventions

control group

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

group gaming interventions BEHAVIORAL

Each intervention is once a week for 90 minutes. A total of 10 sessions are set up, divided into the beginning stage (the 1st and the 2nd sessions), the middle stage (the 3rd to 8th), and the end stage (the 9th and 10th sessions). At this stage, the leader distributes point cards and wish lists to each member and explains the scoring rules, updating scores at the end of each activity. The point system combines group and individual scoring for cumulative totals. Each member may list desired prizes on their wish list, which will be redeemed for rewards based on their point total when the group concludes. The main aim of the middle stage is to knowledge game types, learn game reward mechanisms, the concept of IGD and influencing factors, and how to play healthily. In the end stage, each subgroup needs to show their complete game design, including the game name, game character, game rule, and reward mechanism, and all participants will make a summary of the whole process and say farewell

intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• (1) Clinical diagnosis of hazardous gaming defined in the ICD-11 (2) Fully comprehending the research's purpose and procedures and signing the informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• (1)Serious physical illness or intellectual disability (2) Clinical diagnosis of gaming disorder (3) Not completing all the interventions or assessments

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Shanghai Mental Health Center: lead

Study Sites (1)

Shanghai Mental Health Center

Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China

RECRUITING

Central Study Contacts

Na Zhong, MD

CONTACT

008613671644472; winco917@hotmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: QUADRUPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 19, 2025
• First Posted: January 23, 2026
• Study Start: October 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: January 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CN (1)