Problematic Video GamingNCT07068035
Effects of Temporary Abstinence and Expressive Writing on Gaming
A study testing Temporary abstinence and expressive writing in people with Problematic Video Gaming, run by National University of Singapore at 1 site in Singapore.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate if an intervention combining temporary abstinence and expressive writing can mitigate gaming problems in young adult regular gamers. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Problematic Video Gaming
- What is being tested?
- Temporary abstinence and expressive writing
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 321 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSingapore
- Study dates
- 2 Aug 2024to 11 Nov 2024
- 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 18 to 35 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Singapore citizens/Permanent Residents
- Between 18 and 35 years old
- Play video games regularly (on average at least 7 hours per week)
- Able to read and write English
- Non-professional gamers
- Experience some problems with gaming, use gaming for emotional comfort
- Willing to temporarily take a break from gaming for 7 days
Who cannot join
- Non-Singapore citizens/Permanent Residents
- Below 18 or above 35 years old
- Do not play video games regularly (less than 7 hours per week)
- Unable to read or write English
- Professional gamers
- Experience no problems with gaming, does not use gaming for emotional comfort
- Unwilling to temporarily take a break from gaming for 7 days
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Singapore1 site
Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore
Singapore, 117572
About this study
Official title: Investigating the Use of Temporary Abstinence and Expressive Writing for Reducing Problematic Gaming
The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate if an intervention combining temporary abstinence and expressive writing can mitigate gaming problems in young adult regular gamers. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does intervention combining temporary abstinence and expressive writing reduces problematic gaming and gaming time?
Read more
Researchers will compare the treatment group to a control group (gaming as per usual and control writing) to examine if the intervention works to mitigate gaming problems.
Participants will:
- Temporarily abstain from video games for a period of 7 days and engage in 4 expressive writing exercises during this intervention period
- Answer three surveys: a baseline survey before the start of the intervention, a post survey after the 7-day intervention, and a follow-up survey 1 month after the post survey.
Read the detailed description
This clinical trial investigates the effectiveness of a self-administered intervention combining temporary abstinence and expressive writing in addressing problematic gaming behaviours among young adult gamers in Singapore. It aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing problematic gaming behaviours and improving emotional and health-related outcomes (e.g., psychological distress, physical health status) among young adult gamers by comparing the outcomes among two groups: temporary abstinence with expressive writing group and control group
Participants have to attend an online briefing, complete a baseline survey, take part in a 7-day intervention, complete a post-intervention survey one day later and a 1-month follow-up survey.
- Online briefing: Participants attended an online briefing session where a member of the research team briefed them on the procedures, emphasised the importance of adhering to the intervention protocol, and addressed any questions that they might have.
- Baseline survey: Participants were asked to report on their sociodemographics and internet and gaming-related habits, as well as psychosocial characteristics. The baseline survey had to be completed on the same day as the online briefing.
- Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups and to take part in the intervention that lasted for 7 consecutive days. In the treatment group, participants were instructed to abstain from gaming for a period of 7 days and to engage in expressive writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions on Day 1, Day 3, Day 5, and Day 7 of the intervention. Participants typed their writings online using the Qualtrics platform. In the control group, participants were instructed to continue with their usual gaming routine and engaged in control writing exercises for the same number of sessions and duration across the same days.
- Post-intervention survey: Participants were asked to complete a subset of the baseline survey and a few questions about the intervention (e.g., manipulation checks, compliance).
- 1-month follow-up survey: Participants were asked to complete a similar set of questionnaires as the baseline survey 1 month after the completion of the post-intervention survey.
- Conditions
- Problematic Video Gaming
- Being tested
- Temporary abstinence and expressive writing, Gaming as per usual and control writing
- Keywords
- problematic gaming, expressive writing, temporary abstinence, gaming time
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Temporary abstinence and expressive writingBehavioural
Also called temporary abstinence, expressive writing
This brief, self-administered intervention combined both temporary gaming abstinence and gaming-focused expressive writing to mitigate gaming problems
Gaming as per usual and control writingBehavioural
Also called gaming as per usual, control writing
Participants continued with their usual gaming routine and engaged in control writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Experimental | The treatment group was instructed to abstain from gaming for a period of 7 days and to engage in expressive writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions Receives: Behavioral: Temporary abstinence and expressive writing |
| Control | Other | The control group was instructed to continue their usual gaming routine for a period of 7 days and to engage in control writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions. Receives: Behavioral: Gaming as per usual and control writing |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
problematic gaming
Based on the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form. Higher scores indicated greater problematic gaming
Measured: Baseline and 1 month after intervention completion
gaming hours
Participants self-reported the average number of hours spent playing video games per day in a typical week over the past 30 days. This measure quantifies the total time engaged in gaming activity, with higher hours indicating greater gaming engagement.
Measured: Baseline and 1 month after intervention completion
emotion dysregulation
Based on the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-18). Higher scores indicated greater emotion dysregulation
Measured: Baseline, 1 day after intervention completion, and 1 month after intervention completion
maladaptive gaming cognitions
Based on the Internet Gaming Cognition Scale. Higher scores indicated greater maladaptive gaming cognitions
Measured: Baseline, 1 day after intervention completion, and 1 month after intervention completion
Secondary outcomes (4)
psychological distress
Based on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Higher score indicated greater psychological distress
Measured: Baseline, 1 day after intervention completion, and 1 month after intervention completion
physical health
A single self-report item where participants rated their physical health status at present on a scale from 1 (very poor) to 6 (excellent)
Measured: Baseline, 1 day after intervention completion, and 1 month after intervention completion
exercise frequency
A self-report item where participants reported number of days they engaged in moderate or vigorous physical activity that lasted for more than 10 minutes at a time in a typical week. This item was scored from 1 (never to 1 day per week) to 4 (every day)
Measured: Baseline, 1 day after intervention completion, and 1 month after intervention completion
sleep quality
Based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Higher scores indicated poorer sleep quality
Measured: Baseline and 1 month after intervention completion
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted16 Jul 2025
- Study start2 Aug 2024
- Primary completion11 Nov 2024
- Study completion11 Nov 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Problematic Video GamingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by National University of SingaporeThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Model description
- Participants in the treatment group were instructed to abstain from gaming for a period of 7 days and to engage in expressive writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions. Participants in the control group were instructed to continue their usual gaming routine for a period of 7 days and to engage in control writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions.
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 321 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- National University of Singapore
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Hong Yee Shiun, National University of Singapore
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07068035
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NUS-IRB-2023-1037
- Status last verified
- Jul 2025
- First submitted
- 7 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 16 Jul 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: The Institutional Review Board's approval is required for the data to be shared. Therefore, IPD that underlie results in a publication are available from the researcher on reasonable request and with the approval of the Institutional Review Board (National University of Singapore)
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 Jul 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Investigating the Use of Temporary Abstinence and Expressive Writing for Reducing Problematic Gaming
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07068035
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NUS-IRB-2023-1037
- Conditions
- Problematic Video Gaming
- Keywords
- problematic gaming, expressive writing, temporary abstinence, gaming time
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 321 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- National University of SingaporeUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 2 Aug 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 11 Nov 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 11 Nov 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 16 Jul 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate if an intervention combining temporary abstinence and expressive writing can mitigate gaming problems in young adult regular gamers. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does intervention combining temporary abstinence and expressive writing reduces problematic gaming and gaming time?
Researchers will compare the treatment group to a control group (gaming as per usual and control writing) to examine if the intervention works to mitigate gaming problems.
Participants will:
- Temporarily abstain from video games for a period of 7 days and engage in 4 expressive writing exercises during this intervention period
- Answer three surveys: a baseline survey before the start of the intervention, a post survey after the 7-day intervention, and a follow-up survey 1 month after the post survey.
Detailed description
This clinical trial investigates the effectiveness of a self-administered intervention combining temporary abstinence and expressive writing in addressing problematic gaming behaviours among young adult gamers in Singapore. It aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing problematic gaming behaviours and improving emotional and health-related outcomes (e.g., psychological distress, physical health status) among young adult gamers by comparing the outcomes among two groups: temporary abstinence with expressive writing group and control group
Participants have to attend an online briefing, complete a baseline survey, take part in a 7-day intervention, complete a post-intervention survey one day later and a 1-month follow-up survey.
- Online briefing: Participants attended an online briefing session where a member of the research team briefed them on the procedures, emphasised the importance of adhering to the intervention protocol, and addressed any questions that they might have.
- Baseline survey: Participants were asked to report on their sociodemographics and internet and gaming-related habits, as well as psychosocial characteristics. The baseline survey had to be completed on the same day as the online briefing.
- Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups and to take part in the intervention that lasted for 7 consecutive days. In the treatment group, participants were instructed to abstain from gaming for a period of 7 days and to engage in expressive writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions on Day 1, Day 3, Day 5, and Day 7 of the intervention. Participants typed their writings online using the Qualtrics platform. In the control group, participants were instructed to continue with their usual gaming routine and engaged in control writing exercises for the same number of sessions and duration across the same days.
- Post-intervention survey: Participants were asked to complete a subset of the baseline survey and a few questions about the intervention (e.g., manipulation checks, compliance).
- 1-month follow-up survey: Participants were asked to complete a similar set of questionnaires as the baseline survey 1 month after the completion of the post-intervention survey.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants in the treatment group were instructed to abstain from gaming for a period of 7 days and to engage in expressive writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions. Participants in the control group were instructed to continue their usual gaming routine for a period of 7 days and to engage in control writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Experimental | Behavioral: Temporary abstinence and expressive writingThe treatment group was instructed to abstain from gaming for a period of 7 days and to engage in expressive writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions |
| Control | Other | Behavioral: Gaming as per usual and control writingThe control group was instructed to continue their usual gaming routine for a period of 7 days and to engage in control writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 35 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Singapore citizens/Permanent Residents
- Between 18 and 35 years old
- Play video games regularly (on average at least 7 hours per week)
- Able to read and write English
- Non-professional gamers
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Non-Singapore citizens/Permanent Residents
- Below 18 or above 35 years old
- Do not play video games regularly (less than 7 hours per week)
- Unable to read or write English
- Professional gamers
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary abstinence and expressive writingAlso: temporary abstinence, expressive writingThis brief, self-administered intervention combined both temporary gaming abstinence and gaming-focused expressive writing to mitigate gaming problems | Behavioural | Treatment |
| Gaming as per usual and control writingAlso: gaming as per usual, control writingParticipants continued with their usual gaming routine and engaged in control writing exercises for 15 minutes every other day for a total of 4 sessions | Behavioural | Control |
Primary outcome
problematic gaming
Time frame: Baseline and 1 month after intervention completion
Based on the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form. Higher scores indicated greater problematic gaming
gaming hours
Time frame: Baseline and 1 month after intervention completion
Participants self-reported the average number of hours spent playing video games per day in a typical week over the past 30 days. This measure quantifies the total time engaged in gaming activity, with higher hours indicating greater gaming engagement.
emotion dysregulation
Time frame: Baseline, 1 day after intervention completion, and 1 month after intervention completion
Based on the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-18). Higher scores indicated greater emotion dysregulation
maladaptive gaming cognitions
Time frame: Baseline, 1 day after intervention completion, and 1 month after intervention completion
Based on the Internet Gaming Cognition Scale. Higher scores indicated greater maladaptive gaming cognitions
4 secondary outcomes
psychological distress
Time frame: Baseline, 1 day after intervention completion, and 1 month after intervention completion
physical health
Time frame: Baseline, 1 day after intervention completion, and 1 month after intervention completion
exercise frequency
Time frame: Baseline, 1 day after intervention completion, and 1 month after intervention completion
sleep quality
Time frame: Baseline and 1 month after intervention completion
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 16 Jul 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. The Institutional Review Board's approval is required for the data to be shared. Therefore, IPD that underlie results in a publication are available from the researcher on reasonable request and with the approval of the Institutional Review Board (National University of Singapore)
Related trials for Problematic Video Gaming
Active, not recruiting
Community-Based Intervention to Reduce Problematic Video Game Use in First-Year Secondary School Students: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
Video Game Addiction, Gaming Disorder
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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Temporary abstinence and expressive writing in people with Problematic Video Gaming, run by National University of Singapore at 1 site in Singapore.
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 7 inclusion and 7 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 16 Jul 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 Singapore. 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?
problematic gaming (time frame: Baseline and 1 month after intervention completion). The study lists 4 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 16 Jul 2025.