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Gaming DisorderNCT06018922

Psychological Therapy for Gaming Disorder

A study testing Psychological treatment in people with Gaming Disorder and Internet Gaming Disorder, run by Region Skane at 1 site in Sweden.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial 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… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 13 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Gaming Disorder, Internet Gaming Disorder
What is being tested?
Psychological treatment
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
68 participants
Where
1 siteSweden
Study dates
20 Dec 2021to 31 Aug 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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 13 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

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

Who cannot join

  • 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)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Sweden1 site

  • Region Skåne

    Malmö, Skåne County

Other trials in Sweden

About this study

Official title: To Evaluate the Effect of a Psychological Treatment for Patients With Gaming Disorder or Hazardous Gaming.

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.

Read the 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.

Being tested
Psychological treatment
Keywords
Gaming
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.

  • Psychological treatmentBehavioural

    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.

Study groups in NCT06018922
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Psychological therapy for Gaming DisorderExperimentalThey will be offered a module-based psychological treatment that combines Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Family therapy (FT).
Receives: Behavioral: Psychological treatment

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. The Gaming Disorder Test (GDT)

    Change in symptoms of Gaming Disorder Min: 4 Max: 20 A higher outcome means worse gaming problems

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2); At follow up: 3 months after post treatment (T3)

  2. Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form (IGDS9-SF)

    Change in symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder. Min: 9 Max: 45 A higher outcome means worse gaming problems

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2); At follow up: 3 months after post treatment (T3)

  3. Time spent on gaming in the last week

    Change in time spent on gaming per week

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post assessment: an average of 4 weeks from baseline (T1); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2); At follow up: 3 months after post treatment (T3)

  4. Time spent on gaming in the last week during the treatment

    Change in time spent on gaming per week during the treatment

    Measured: Once a week during the treatment period: (Post-assessment to Post-treatment) an average of 25 weeks

  5. Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure 34 (Core-OM 34)

    Change in self-report measure of psychological distress (for the the patients 16 years and older) Min: 0 Max: 136 A higher outcome means higher psychological distress

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post assessment: an average of 4 weeks from baseline (T1); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2); At follow up: 3 months after post treatment (T3)

  6. The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) Youth

    Change in self-report measure of psychological distress (For children) a 47-item self-report questionnaire with subscales including: separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and low mood.

    Min: 0 Max: 141 A higher outcome means higher psychological distress

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post assessment: an average of 4 weeks from baseline (T1); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2); At follow up: 3 months after post treatment (T3)

  7. The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) Parent

    Change in self-report measure of psychological distress (For children) a parent 47-item questionnaire about their children with subscales including: separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and low mood.

    Min: 0 Max: 141 A higher outcome means higher psychological distress

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post assessment: an average of 4 weeks from baseline (T1); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2); At follow up: 3 months after post treatment (T3)

  8. The Gaming Addiction Identification Test (GAIT)

    Change in a parent report measure of problematic gaming in adolescents (For children) Min: 0 Max: 35 A higher outcome means worse gaming problems

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2); At follow up: 3 months after post treatment (T3)

Secondary outcomes (9)

  1. Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)

    Change in if the patients meet criteria for common psychiatric diagnoses. The instrument is a brief structured diagnostic interview for the major psychiatric disorders in DSM-5. The children will be administered MINI-KID

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2);

  2. The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF)

    Change in functioning. The instrument is a numeric scale used by clinicians to rate subjectively the functioning of an patient Min: 0 Max: 100 A higher outcome means higher functioning

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2);

  3. Working Alliance Inventory 12 (WAI)

    self-report questionnaire for measuring the quality of the working alliance after the treatment Min: 12 Max: 84 A higher outcome means higher working alliance

    Measured: Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2);

  4. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - 16 item (Ders-16)

    Change in difficulties in emotion regulation Min: 16 Max: 80 A higher outcome means more problems with emotion regulation

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2);

  5. Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale

    Change in symptom of social media disorder, Min: 6 Max: 30 A higher outcome means worse social media problems

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2);

  6. Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ)

    Change in motives for gaming. The motives are: Escape, Coping, Fantasy, Skill Development, Recreation, Competition, and Social Min: 27 Max: 135. A higher outcome indicate that the patient recognizes himself/herself to a greater extent in the various motives.

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2);

  7. National Opinion Research Center DSM-IV Screen for Gambling: Preoccupation + Escape + Risked Relationships + Chasing (NODS-PERC)

    Change in symptoms of gambling disorder Min: 0 Max: 4 A higher outcome means worse gambling problems

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2);

  8. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (Audit)

    Change in alcohol use Min: 0 Max: 12 A higher outcome means more problems with alcohol use

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2);

  9. Drug Use identification list

    Change in drug use. By a list to identify use of common substances and frequency of use.

    Min: 0 Max: 45. A higher outcome means more problems with drug use

    Measured: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2);

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted31 Aug 2023
  2. Study start20 Dec 2021
  3. Primary completion31 Aug 2025
  4. Study completion31 Aug 2025

Resources

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
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
68 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06018922
Sponsor's protocol ID
2021-06666-01
Other IDs
2021-06666-01
Status last verified
Aug 2025
First submitted
14 Jun 2023
Last updated
9 Sep 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: After publication of data the IPD will be available at request.

Publications

  • 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.

    PubMed 39151165

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Psychological treatment in people with Gaming Disorder and Internet Gaming Disorder, run by Region Skane at 1 site in Sweden.

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 3 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 9 Sep 2025. 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 Sweden. 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?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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?

The Gaming Disorder Test (GDT) (time frame: At baseline (Timepoint (T) 0); Post treatment: an average of 9 months from baseline (T2); At follow up: 3 months after post treatment (T3)). The study lists 8 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06018922, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 9 Sep 2025.

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