Effects of a Manualized Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction

Addiction Clinical Trial

— STICA  

Official title:

Effects of a Manualized Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01434589
• Other study ID #: BE 2248/10-1
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: September 8, 2011
• Last updated: October 10, 2017
• Start date: January 2012
• Est. completion date: August 2017

Study information

• Verified date: October 2017
• Source: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to 1) determine the efficacy of manualized Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer game Addiction (STICA), assess 2) the durability of treatment response in these patients and 3) the impact on associated psychiatric symptoms, e.g. social anxiety and depression.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 187
• Est. completion date: August 2017
• Est. primary completion date: June 2017
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Male
• Age group: 17 Years to 55 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• clinical diagnosis of internet or computer game addiction

• internet or computer game addiction according to the AICA-Checklist(Assessment of Internet and Computer game addiction, expert Rating)

• a score >/= 7 in the AICA-S (Assessment of Internet and Computer game addiction, Self Rating)

• patients with primary diagnoses of internet or computer game addiction

• if currently on psychotropic medications, no change in medications and dosages in the past 2 months and during STICA treatment

• if currently off all psychotropic medications, patient has been off at least 4 weeks

• at least 4 weeks off from last psychotherapy and no other ongoing psychotherapy

Exclusion Criteria:

• current Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) < 40

• severe major depression (BDI-II Score >/= 29)

• current alcohol or drug addictions

• personality disorders: borderline, antisocial, schizoid and schizotypal

• lifetime diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar or organic mental disorder

• current unstable medical illness

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Addiction
• Behavior, Addictive

Intervention

Behavioral:
• STICA Intervention
Manualized Short-term Treatment for Internet and Computer game Addiction (STICA) based on cognitive behavior-therapy (combining individual and group therapy)

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Austria	Anton Proksch Insitut, Therapy Centre for the Treatment of Addictions	Vienna
Germany	University Medical Center Mainz, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Outpatient clinic for behavioral addictions	Mainz
Germany	Central Insitute for Mental Health	Mannheim
Germany	University Medical Center Tübingen	Tübingen

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Countries where clinical trial is conducted

Austria,  Germany, 

References & Publications (1)

Wölfling K, Müller KW, Beutel M. [Reliability and validity of the Scale for the Assessment of Pathological Computer-Gaming (CSV-S)]. Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 2011 May;61(5):216-24. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1263145. Epub 2010 Sep 27. German. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in internet or computer game addiction (self-rating)		4 and 10 months after randomization
Secondary	Change/Remission of internet or computer game addiction (expert rating)		4 and 10 months after randomization
Secondary	Preoccupation with critical internet applications or computer games (hours per week)		4 and 10 months after randomization
Secondary	Improvement of negative consequences (e.g. social communication, psychosocial well being)		4 and 10 months after randomization
Secondary	Improvement of depressive symptoms (changes in BDI-II)		4 and 10 months after randomization
Secondary	Improvement of social fear and avoidance (changes in Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale)		4 and 10 months after randomization
Secondary	Improvement of Expectances of self-efficacy (Changes in Assessment of Self-Efficacy)		4 and 10 months after randomization