Psychological Therapy for Gaming Disorder

NCT ID: NCT06018922

Last Updated: 2025-09-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 68 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-12-20
• Study Completion Date: 2025-08-31

Brief Summary

Gaming is a common leisure activity, both for children and adult, and while it is generally a positive experience for most, it can lead to problems for some individuals. There is currently a lack of knowledge of when video gaming becomes a problem and why, and there is a lack of evidence-based interventions for treating Gaming disorder. This pilot study aims to evaluate a new treatment manual for Gaming Disorder, which consists of modules based on cognitive behavioral therapy and family therapy. The therapy can be provided as individual therapy to the patient, to relatives, or as family therapy involving both the patient and their relatives. This study is an effectiveness trials and will follow all-patients at the clinic who will be offered the treatment.

The hypothesis is that the manual-based psychotherapy for Gaming Disorder will result in a reduction of Gaming Disorder symptoms and psychological distress, as well as an improvement in daily functioning.

Detailed Description

This study is a part of the clinical work at Gamingprojektet Maria Malmö, which is an outpatient clinic for patients with problematic gaming or Gaming Disorder. The clinic is focused on young people over 13 years of age and adults with problematic gaming or who meet the diagnosis of Gaming Disorder.

The study will aim to evaluate a new treatment that has been developed and are offered at Gamingprojektet Maria Malmö for patients with a problematic gaming behavior or Gaming Disorder. Before starting the treatment, they will undergo a semi-structured interview about their gaming habits, motivation for playing, demographic information, gambling, social habits, family climate, physical health, and psychiatric comorbidity. This is combined with self-assessment questionnaires on mental health, social media habits, alcohol use, drug use, gambling, emotion regulation, and everyday functioning. They will be offered a psychological treatment that combines Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Family therapy (FT). At each session, they will answer short questions about their well-being, how much they have played in the past week, and how much their well-being is related to their gaming. After completing the treatment, the patients will undergo the same semi-structured interview and questionnaires as pre-treatment. Three months after the treatment has ended, they will be called for a follow-up, where they will complete questioners about symptoms of Gaming disorder and psychological wellbeing. The study is conducted fully integrated into regular clinical practice, which allows for the feasibility and possibilities for implementation to be studied directly in connection with the study and in relation to treatment outcomes.

Conditions

Gaming Disorder; Internet Gaming Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Psychological therapy for Gaming Disorder

They will be offered a module-based psychological treatment that combines Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Family therapy (FT).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Psychological treatment

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The treatment is module-based, and the clinician are supposed to choose a small number of modules to work with depending on the patients need. The individual CBT modules are: 1) Behavioral activation, 2) Accepting thought, 3) Emotion regulation, 4) Impulse control, 5) Procrastination, 6) Relationships, 7) Problem-solving skills, 8) Structuring everyday-life, 9) Diet-Exercise-Sleep, and 10) Social anxiety. The family therapy modules are: 1) Psychoeducation about gaming, 2) Encourage other activities, 3) Positive time together, 4) Expectations and the patients abilities, 5) Making agreements in the family, 6) Emotional validation, and 7) Conflict management.

Interventions

Psychological treatment

The treatment is module-based, and the clinician are supposed to choose a small number of modules to work with depending on the patients need. The individual CBT modules are: 1) Behavioral activation, 2) Accepting thought, 3) Emotion regulation, 4) Impulse control, 5) Procrastination, 6) Relationships, 7) Problem-solving skills, 8) Structuring everyday-life, 9) Diet-Exercise-Sleep, and 10) Social anxiety. The family therapy modules are: 1) Psychoeducation about gaming, 2) Encourage other activities, 3) Positive time together, 4) Expectations and the patients abilities, 5) Making agreements in the family, 6) Emotional validation, and 7) Conflict management.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Can read and speak Swedish fluidly.
• ≥ 13 years of age
• Are treatment seeking for problematic gaming or Gaming disorder

Exclusion Criteria

• Somatic or psychiatric disease that is contraindicating or severely complicates the implementation of the intervention (e.g., ongoing psychotic, manic or hypomanic episode or neuropsychiatric condition with severe disability)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 13 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Lund University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Region Skane

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Emma Claesdotter-Knutsson, MD; PHD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Region Skåne

Locations

Region Skåne

Malmo, Skåne County, Sweden

Countries

Sweden

References

Bore P, Nilsson S, Andersson M, Oehm K, Attvall J, Hakansson A, Claesdotter-Knutsson E. Effectiveness and Acceptability of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Family Therapy for Gaming Disorder: Protocol for a Nonrandomized Intervention Study of a Novel Psychological Treatment. JMIR Res Protoc. 2024 Aug 16;13:e56315. doi: 10.2196/56315.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 39151165 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

2021-06666-01

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

2021-06666-01

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id