Being unhealthily addicted to video games or the internet is now recognized by the World Health Organization as an International Classification of Diseases, with adolescents particularly at risk, and as you might expect, the global coronaviruses epidemic has made the situation worse.
A new study looks to offer a promising method of treatment for mental health problems, which are linked to poorer academic performance.
There was a reduction in the severity of symptoms of both gaming and internet disorders when using a cognitive behavioral therapy approach.
The results of the trial showed that the PROTECT intervention reduced symptoms of gaming disorder and internet use disorder over a year.
A total of 422 high school students from 33 different schools were involved in the study. 167 of them were Enrolled in a PROTECT course while 255 were used as a control group with no PROTECT training given. Over the course of a year, follow-up surveys were scheduled.
The four 90-minute sessions of the PROTECT course are delivered by trained psychologists. Risk factors such as boredom, motivational problems, and social anxiety were tackled in order to change negative patterns of thinking in order to shift behavior.
The researchers found that the severity of the symptoms of gaming and internet disorders had dropped by more than 30 percent in the PROTECT group. There was no significant difference in incidence rates between the two groups after a year.
In addition, descriptive symptom analyses showed an initial increase in symptom severity of gaming disorder or internet use disorder within the first month in the PROTECT intervention group, compared with a decrease in symptom severity in the assessment-only control group.
It could be explained by an elevated awareness of problematic internet behavior, which was caused by the PROTECT intervention.
The brains of people who are addicted to substances like drugs or alcohol are similar to those of people who are addicted to gaming.
As the impact of the Pandemic on education and isolation continues to be felt around the world, these disorders are being taken seriously by the scientific and medical communities.
Further down the line, the researchers want to see more studies that involve more students and higher-risk groups, and suggest that the PROTECT materials could be delivered by teachers as well as counsellors.
The team thinks that stopping the addictive behaviors at the earliest possible opportunity is the best way to go.
The researchers explain that prevention should start before symptoms appear and should target individuals who may benefit the most from being selected based on factors that increase the risk of illness start.
The research has been published.
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