Internet Gaming DisorderNCT02726880
Reducing Internet Gaming
A study testing Behavioral therapy and Referral for care in people with Internet Gaming Disorder, run by UConn Health at 1 site in United States.
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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 10 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Internet Gaming Disorder
- What is being tested?
- Behavioral therapy and Referral for care
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 36 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Jun 2016to Dec 2020
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 10 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- parent/guardian of a 10-22 year old residing in the same household >8 months/year
- reports significant problems with game playing
Who cannot join
- have a condition that may hinder study participation
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Reducing Internet Gaming: A Pilot Psychotherapy Development Study
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
- Being tested
- Behavioral therapy, Referral for care
- Medical subject headings
- Internet Addiction Disorder
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Behavioral therapyBehavioural
6-week behavioral intervention designed to assist with better monitoring and regulating the child's game playing behaviors.
Referral for careBehavioural
Referral for mental health issues and family support services
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Referral for care | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Referral for care |
| Behavioral therapy | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral therapy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Percentage of Participants Who Complete All 6 Sessions
Completion of sessions is an indicator of treatment acceptability and feasibility
Measured: 12 weeks
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.
Measured: 12 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted4 Apr 2016 (estimated)
- Study startJun 2016
- Primary completionDec 2020
- Study completionDec 2020
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Internet Gaming DisorderStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 36 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- UConn Health
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Kristyn Zajac, UConn Health
- Investigators
- Kristyn Zajac, Ph.D., Principal investigator, UConn Health
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02726880
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 16-114-3
- Other IDs
- P50DA009241
- Status last verified
- Jan 2022
- First submitted
- 31 Mar 2016
- Last updated
- 28 Jan 2022
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Jan 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Reducing Internet Gaming: A Pilot Psychotherapy Development Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02726880
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 16-114-3
- Conditions
- Internet Gaming Disorder
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 36 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- UConn HealthUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Study start
- Jun 2016 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2020 (actual)
- Study completion
- Dec 2020 (actual)
- First posted
- 4 Apr 2016 (estimated)
- Results
- Posted 28 Jan 2022
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Referral for care | Active comparator | Behavioral: Referral for care |
| Behavioral therapy | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral therapy |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 10 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- parent/guardian of a 10-22 year old residing in the same household >8 months/year
- reports significant problems with game playing
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- have a condition that may hinder study participation
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral therapy6-week behavioral intervention designed to assist with better monitoring and regulating the child's game playing behaviors. | Behavioural | Behavioral therapy |
| Referral for careReferral for mental health issues and family support services | Behavioural | Referral for care |
Primary outcome
Percentage of Participants Who Complete All 6 Sessions
Time frame: 12 weeks
Completion of sessions is an indicator of treatment acceptability and feasibility
Number of Days of Gaming in the Past Week - Reported by Parent
Time frame: 12 weeks
Number of days of gaming is an indicator of the severity of the gaming problem.
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Jan 2022.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Kristyn Zajac, Ph.D. principal investigator
UConn Health
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Behavioral therapy and Referral for care in people with Internet Gaming Disorder, run by UConn Health at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Jan 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 28 Jan 2022). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Percentage of Participants Who Complete All 6 Sessions (time frame: 12 weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 28 Jan 2022; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 27 Oct 2026.