Reducing Internet Gaming

Internet Gaming Disorder Clinical Trial

Official title:

Reducing Internet Gaming: A Pilot Psychotherapy Development Study

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02726880
• Other study ID #: 16-114-3
• Secondary ID: P50DA009241
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: June 2016
• Est. completion date: December 2020

Study information

• Verified date: January 2022
• Source: UConn Health
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial 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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 36
• Est. completion date: December 2020
• Est. primary completion date: December 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 10 Years and older

Eligibility

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

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Internet Gaming Disorder

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Behavioral therapy
6-week behavioral intervention designed to assist with better monitoring and regulating the child's game playing behaviors.
• Referral for care
Referral for mental health issues and family support services

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	UConn Health	Farmington	Connecticut

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
UConn Health	National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Percentage of Participants Who Complete All 6 Sessions	Completion of sessions is an indicator of treatment acceptability and feasibility	12 weeks
Primary	Number of Days of Gaming in the Past Week - Reported by Parent	Number of days of gaming is an indicator of the severity of the gaming problem.	12 weeks