Reducing Internet Gaming

NCT ID: NCT02726880

Last Updated: 2022-01-28

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 36 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2016-06-30
• Study Completion Date: 2020-12-31

Brief Summary

The fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders includes in its research appendix a potential new diagnosis-Internet gaming disorder. This condition primarily affects adolescent boys and young adult men, who rarely seek treatment on their own. More often, parents express concerns about their child's game playing behaviors. This psychotherapy development study will evaluate feasibility and effect sizes of an intervention designed to help parents reduce their child's gaming problems; the intervention allows for child participation, but it is geared toward parents, regardless of whether or not their child is willing to participate. A total of 40 parents concerned about their child's gaming behaviors will complete self and parental report inventories and structured diagnostic interviews regarding gaming, substance use and psychosocial functioning. Children who elect to participate will complete parallel versions of the instruments. Participants will be randomized to a control condition consisting of referral for mental health issues and family support services or to a 6-week behavioral intervention designed to assist with better monitoring and regulating the child's game playing behaviors. Gaming and other problems will be assessed pre-treatment, at the end of treatment and at a 4-month follow-up. This study will be the first to evaluate the reliability and validity of a parental version of the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders criteria for internet gaming disorder in a clinical sample, and it will assess associations of internet gaming disorder with substance use, mental health conditions, and family functioning as well. This study will be the first randomized trial of an intervention designed to assist parents in reducing their child's gaming problems, and results will help guide future development of interventions for Internet gaming disorder. To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention, the proportion of parents assigned to the intervention who complete 6 sessions will be examined, as will the proportion of youth who attend the sessions. Parent and child ratings of satisfaction with the intervention will be assessed. To examine the effect size of the intervention on reducing gaming, parental reports of proportion of days on which their child played games and durations of game playing will be compared between conditions, controlling for baseline indices.

Conditions

Internet Gaming Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Referral for care

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Referral for care

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Referral for mental health issues and family support services

Behavioral therapy

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

6-week behavioral intervention designed to assist with better monitoring and regulating the child's game playing behaviors.

Interventions

Behavioral therapy

6-week behavioral intervention designed to assist with better monitoring and regulating the child's game playing behaviors.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Referral for care

Referral for mental health issues and family support services

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• parent/guardian of a 10-22 year old residing in the same household >8 months/year
• reports significant problems with game playing

Exclusion Criteria

• have a condition that may hinder study participation

• Minimum Eligible Age: 10 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

UConn Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Kristyn Zajac

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Kristyn Zajac, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

UConn Health

Locations

UConn Health

Farmington, Connecticut, United States

Countries

United States

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

P50DA009241

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

16-114-3

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id