Social Media Addiction4-STEP-TPSNCT07821489
4-STEP Training Program for Social Media Addiction, Cognitive Fatigue, Psychological Distress, Academic Burnout and Procrastination Among Students
A study testing 4-STEP-TPS in people with Social Media Addiction, run by Government College University Faisalabad at 1 site in Pakistan.
Trial summary
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured four-step training program for reducing social media addiction and its associated psychological and academic difficulties among school and university students. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 25 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Social Media Addiction
- What is being tested?
- 4-STEP-TPS
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 sitePakistan
- Study dates
- 20 Sep 2026to 30 Nov 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 25 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- • Age range: 18-29 years
- No physical, psychiatric, or psychological conditions
- Minimum score of 84 on the Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS)
Who cannot join
- Age below 18 or above 29 years
- Presence of any physical, psychiatric, or psychological conditions
- Score below 84 on the Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Pakistan1 site
Government College University Faisalabad
Faisalabad, Punjab Province, 38000
About this study
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured four-step training program for reducing social media addiction and its associated psychological and academic difficulties among school and university students. The program focuses on improving self-regulation, managing social media use, reducing cognitive fatigue, procrastination, academic burnout, and psychological distress. Participants will be assigned to experimental and control groups, and their outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention.
Read the detailed description
This study, titled "A 4-Step Training Program for Social Media Addiction, Cognitive Fatigue, Procrastination, Academic Burnout, and Psychological Distress among School and University Students," aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured four-step training program in reducing social media addiction and its associated psychological and academic difficulties. The target population will consist of N = 400 school and university students. From the eligible participants, Participants will be divided into experimental and control groups, with 20 participants in each group from the school population and 20 participants in each group from the university population. The experimental groups will receive a structured four-step training program over four weeks, while the control groups will not receive the training intervention during the study period. Participants will be assessed at pre-test and post-test using standardized measures of social media addiction, cognitive fatigue, procrastination, academic burnout, and psychological distress. Data will be analyzed using SPSS, including descriptive and inferential statistical analyses to examine changes from pre-test to post-test and differences between the experimental and control groups.
- Conditions
- Social Media Addiction
- Being tested
- 4-STEP-TPS
- Keywords
- Cognitive fatigue, Academic burnout, Procrastination, Psychological distress, Interventions
- 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.
4-STEP-TPSBehavioural
Behavioral: 4-STEP-Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS) 4 Modules with 1 Module being delivered in 1 weekly session of approximately 90 minutes. The details of each module/step is described as follows: Step
- (Module 1): S = Screening, Assessment and Psychoeducation: Involves screening and assessment of the problem, interpretation of the results, feedback and psychoeducation, identifying and breaking the resistance, motivation, and conceptualization. Step
- (Module 2): T = Treatment Conceptualization and Planning: Involves pattern identification, distortion identification, as well as pattern and distortions modifications. Step 3 (Module 3): E = Effective Management Strategies: Involves management strategies to treat the earlier identified patterns as well as the implementation and confirmation of activities via a Pattern Schedule Chart. Step 4 (Module 4): P = Prevention (Lapse-Relapse): Involves self-reflection and support building, monitoring and dependency check a
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental group | Experimental | Behavioral: 4-STEP-Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS) 4 Modules with 1 Module being delivered in 1 weekly session of approximately 90 minutes. The details of each module/step is described as follows: Step
1. (Module 1): S = Screening, Assessment and Psychoeducation: Involves screening and assessment of the problem, interpretation of the results, feedback and psychoeducation, identifying and breaking the resistance, motivation, and conceptualization. Step
2. (Module 2): T = Treatment Conceptualization and Planning: Involves pattern identification, distortion identification, as well as pattern and distortions modifications. Step 3 (Module 3): E = Effective Management Strategies: Involves management strategies to treat the earlier identified patterns as well as the implementation and confirmation of activities via a Pattern Schedule Chart. Step 4 (Module 4): P = Prevention (Lapse-Relapse): Involves self-reflection and support building, monitoring and dependency check Receives: Behavioral: 4-STEP-TPS |
| Control Group | No intervention | No intervention will be given to the control group |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Social Networking Addiction Scale ( SNAS)
The SNA scale is designed to measure the level of social media addiction. The SNA scale is comprised of six subscales, namely salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse (citation). Each subscale has 3 to 4 items, and each item is rated between "strongly disagree=1" and score>84 reported social media addiction. The scale has shown a strong test-retest reliability of 0.88 and good validity, as reported by Shahnawaz and Rehman (2020).
Measured: At screening after 4 weeks, and reassessment upto 6 months
Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory
Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) is a 20-item self-report instrument developed to assess fatigue as a multidimensional construct. It measures five dimensions of fatigue: general fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced activity, reduced motivation, and mental fatigue, with each dimension consisting of four items. Higher scores indicate greater levels of fatigue (Westenberger et al. 2022).
Measured: At screening after 4 weeks, reassessment up to 6 months]
Maslach Burnout Inventory
The Mashlach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is a widely used self-report instrument for assessing burnout. It measures burnout across three core dimensions: Exhaustion (EX), Cynicism (CY), and Academic Efficacy (AE). In the present study, the 16-item version of the MBI was used to a
Measured: At screening upto 4 weeks and reassessment up to 6 months
Tukman Procrastination Scale
Tuckman Procrastination Scale (TPS) is a self-report measure designed to assess an individual's tendency to delay or postpone tasks that need to be completed. It is used to evaluate procrastination behavior, particularly the tendency to avoid or delay academic tasks despite their importance. In the present study, the scale was used to assess academic procrastination, including the dimensions of Delay Procrastination and Avoidance of Difficulty(Avşar, Baltaci, and Özer 2026).
Measured: At screening, after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale
Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) is a 21-item self-report instrument designed to assess three dimensions of negative emotional states: depression, anxiety, and stress, with seven items representing each dimension (Gomez, Stavropoulos, and Griffiths 2020)
Measured: At screening, after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Sep 2026
- Study start20 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion15 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Nov 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Social Media AddictionStudies 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
- Model description
- A four-step structured training program will be administered to participants assigned to the experimental group over a period of four weeks, with one session conducted per week. The control group will not receive the training program during the intervention period. Pre-test and post-test assessments will be conducted to evaluate changes in social media addiction, cognitive fatigue, procrastination, academic burnout, and psychological distress.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Government College University Faisalabad
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Qasir Abbas, Government College University Faisalabad
- Investigators
- Qasir Abbas, Phd, Clinical Psychology, Principal investigator, Government College University Faisalabad
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07821489
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 4-STEP-TPS for Adults
- Acronym
- 4-STEP-TPS
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 10 Sep 2026
- Last updated
- 15 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- 4-STEP Training Program for Social Media Addiction, Cognitive Fatigue, Psychological Distress, Academic Burnout and Procrastination Among Students
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07821489
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 4-STEP-TPS / 4-STEP-TPS for Adults
- Conditions
- Social Media Addiction
- Keywords
- Cognitive fatigue, Academic burnout, Procrastination, Psychological distress, Interventions
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Government College University FaisalabadUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 20 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 15 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 15 Sep 2026 (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.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured four-step training program for reducing social media addiction and its associated psychological and academic difficulties among school and university students. The program focuses on improving self-regulation, managing social media use, reducing cognitive fatigue, procrastination, academic burnout, and psychological distress. Participants will be assigned to experimental and control groups, and their outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention.
Detailed description
This study, titled "A 4-Step Training Program for Social Media Addiction, Cognitive Fatigue, Procrastination, Academic Burnout, and Psychological Distress among School and University Students," aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured four-step training program in reducing social media addiction and its associated psychological and academic difficulties. The target population will consist of N = 400 school and university students. From the eligible participants, Participants will be divided into experimental and control groups, with 20 participants in each group from the school population and 20 participants in each group from the university population. The experimental groups will receive a structured four-step training program over four weeks, while the control groups will not receive the training intervention during the study period. Participants will be assessed at pre-test and post-test using standardized measures of social media addiction, cognitive fatigue, procrastination, academic burnout, and psychological distress. Data will be analyzed using SPSS, including descriptive and inferential statistical analyses to examine changes from pre-test to post-test and differences between the experimental and control groups.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- A four-step structured training program will be administered to participants assigned to the experimental group over a period of four weeks, with one session conducted per week. The control group will not receive the training program during the intervention period. Pre-test and post-test assessments will be conducted to evaluate changes in social media addiction, cognitive fatigue, procrastination, academic burnout, and psychological distress.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental group | Experimental | Behavioral: 4-STEP-TPSBehavioral: 4-STEP-Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS) 4 Modules with 1 Module being delivered in 1 weekly session of approximately 90 minutes. The details of each module/step is described as follows: Step 1. (Module 1): S = Screening, Assessment and Psychoeducation: Involves screening and assessment of the problem, interpretation of the results, feedback and psychoeducation, identifying and breaking the resistance, motivation, and conceptualization. Step 2. (Module 2): T = Treatment Conceptualization and Planning: Involves pattern identification, distortion identification, as well as pattern and distortions modifications. Step 3 (Module 3): E = Effective Management Strategies: Involves management strategies to treat the earlier identified patterns as well as the implementation and confirmation of activities via a Pattern Schedule Chart. Step 4 (Module 4): P = Prevention (Lapse-Relapse): Involves self-reflection and support building, monitoring and dependency check |
| Control Group | No intervention | –No intervention will be given to the control group |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 25 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- • Age range: 18-29 years
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Age below 18 or above 29 years
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 4-STEP-TPSBehavioral: 4-STEP-Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS) 4 Modules with 1 Module being delivered in 1 weekly session of approximately 90 minutes. The details of each module/step is described as follows: Step 1. (Module 1): S = Screening, Assessment and Psychoeducation: Involves screening and assessment of the problem, interpretation of the results, feedback and psychoeducation, identifying and breaking the resistance, motivation, and conceptualization. Step 2. (Module 2): T = Treatment Conceptualization and Planning: Involves pattern identification, distortion identification, as well as pattern and distortions modifications. Step 3 (Module 3): E = Effective Management Strategies: Involves management strategies to treat the earlier identified patterns as well as the implementation and confirmation of activities via a Pattern Schedule Chart. Step 4 (Module 4): P = Prevention (Lapse-Relapse): Involves self-reflection and support building, monitoring and dependency check a | Behavioural | Experimental group |
Primary outcome
Social Networking Addiction Scale ( SNAS)
Time frame: At screening after 4 weeks, and reassessment upto 6 months
The SNA scale is designed to measure the level of social media addiction. The SNA scale is comprised of six subscales, namely salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse (citation). Each subscale has 3 to 4 items, and each item is rated between "strongly disagree=1" and score>84 reported social media addiction. The scale has shown a strong test-retest reliability of 0.88 and good validity, as reported by Shahnawaz and Rehman (2020).
Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory
Time frame: At screening after 4 weeks, reassessment up to 6 months]
Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) is a 20-item self-report instrument developed to assess fatigue as a multidimensional construct. It measures five dimensions of fatigue: general fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced activity, reduced motivation, and mental fatigue, with each dimension consisting of four items. Higher scores indicate greater levels of fatigue (Westenberger et al. 2022).
Maslach Burnout Inventory
Time frame: At screening upto 4 weeks and reassessment up to 6 months
The Mashlach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is a widely used self-report instrument for assessing burnout. It measures burnout across three core dimensions: Exhaustion (EX), Cynicism (CY), and Academic Efficacy (AE). In the present study, the 16-item version of the MBI was used to a
Tukman Procrastination Scale
Time frame: At screening, after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
Tuckman Procrastination Scale (TPS) is a self-report measure designed to assess an individual's tendency to delay or postpone tasks that need to be completed. It is used to evaluate procrastination behavior, particularly the tendency to avoid or delay academic tasks despite their importance. In the present study, the scale was used to assess academic procrastination, including the dimensions of Delay Procrastination and Avoidance of Difficulty(Avşar, Baltaci, and Özer 2026).
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale
Time frame: At screening, after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) is a 21-item self-report instrument designed to assess three dimensions of negative emotional states: depression, anxiety, and stress, with seven items representing each dimension (Gomez, Stavropoulos, and Griffiths 2020)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Social Media Addiction
Not yet recruiting
Breaking the Cycle of Social Media Addiction: Efficacy of a 4-STEP Training Program in Reducing Cognitive Fatigue, Psychological Distress, Academic Procrastination, and Burnout Among Adolescents
Social Media Addiction
Not yet recruiting
Social Media Withdrawal in Pregnancy: Effects on Maternal Mental Health and Misinformation
Pregnancy
Not yet recruiting
4-STEP-Training Program for Doomscrolling, Cyberchondriac Behavior and Psychiatric Symptoms (4-STEP-TPS) Among Individuals With Social Media Addiction
Doomscrolling, Cyberchondriac Behavior
Enrolling by invitationObservational study
Social Media Concerns Related to Emotional Experiences in Naturalistic Settings (SCREENS)
Depression in Adolescence, Suicidal Ideation
Enrolling by invitationObservational study
The Relationship Between Internet-use Behavior and Mental Health in Youth
Mental Health Issue
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.
Qasir Abbas, Phd, Clinical Psychology principal investigator
Government College University Faisalabad
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing 4-STEP-TPS in people with Social Media Addiction, run by Government College University Faisalabad at 1 site in Pakistan.
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 3 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Sep 2026. 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 Pakistan. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Qasir Abbas Associate Professor, Phd, Clinical Psychology (923337683133, qasirabbas47@yahoo.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Social Networking Addiction Scale ( SNAS) (time frame: At screening after 4 weeks, and reassessment upto 6 months). The study lists 5 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 15 Sep 2026.