Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Mar 29:6:64-71.
doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2017.02.011. eCollection 2017 Jun.

A randomized efficacy trial of a cognitive-behavioral group intervention to prevent Internet Use Disorder onset in adolescents: The PROTECT study protocol

Katajun Lindenberg  1 , Katharina Halasy  1 , Sophie Schoenmaekers  1
Affiliations

A randomized efficacy trial of a cognitive-behavioral group intervention to prevent Internet Use Disorder onset in adolescents: The PROTECT study protocol

Katajun Lindenberg et al. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. .

Abstract

Background: The reduction of prevalence rates of Internet Use Disorder (IUD) and its effective treatment are at high priority in both public health and educational policies. School-based preventive interventions facilitate a low-threshold approach for individuals with IUD, who are typically characterized by high therapy avoidance. Moreover, indicated approaches which target adolescents at high-risk show larger effects than universal prevention programs. Simultaneously, they reduce unnecessary burden for the majority of high-school students that is not at-risk. The PROTECT group intervention for indicated prevention of IUD in school settings was developed based on these preventive strategies.

Methods: Three-hundred and forty adolescents, aged 12-18 years, from 40 secondary schools in Germany, screened for high-risk of IUD onset, are randomly assigned to a) PROTECT preventive intervention group or b) assessment only control group. The tested intervention consists of a cognitive-behavioral 4-session brief-protocol. Follow-up assessments are at 1, 4 and 12 months after admission. Primary outcome is the 12-months incidence rate of IUD. Secondary outcomes are the reduction of IUD and comorbid symptoms as well as the promotion of problem solving, cognitive restructuring and emotion regulation skills.

Conclusion: The indicated preventive intervention PROTECT follows the APA-guidelines for psychological prevention, i.e., it is theory- and evidence-based and addresses both risk-reduction and strength-promotion, it considers current research and epidemiology and ethical standards such as professional secrecy and is designed as a systemic intervention at the school-level. It is expected that the intervention decreases risk of IUD onset (incidence rate).

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02907658.

Keywords: Adolescents; Cognitive-behavioral intervention; Indicated prevention; Internet Use Disorder; Internet gaming disorder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Design and procedure.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Time Schedule. The preparation period is used to train professionals delivering the intervention, recruit schools and obtain legal permissions. The intervention period includes recruitment, enrollment and intervention delivery. The follow-up period was chosen to allow 12-month follow-up assessments. Data analysis is planned after final data collection is completed.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Planned sample size.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Insel T.R. Translating scientific opportunity into public health impact: a strategic plan for research on mental illness. Arch. General Psychiatry. 2009;66(2):128–133. - PubMed
    1. Kuss D.J., Griffiths M.D., Karila L., Billieux J. Internet addiction: a systematic review of epidemiological research for the last decade. Curr. Pharm. Des. 2014;20(25):4026–4052. - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association . American Psychiatric Association; Arlington: 2013. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth ed. (DSM-5)
    1. Rehbein F., Kliem S., Baier D., Mößle T., Petry N.M. Prevalence of Internet gaming disorder in German adolescents: diagnostic contribution of the nine DSM-5 criteria in a state-wide representative sample. Addiction. 2015;110(5):842–851. - PubMed
    1. Rehbein F., Kleimann M., Mößle T. Prevalence and risk factors of video game dependency in adolescence: results of a German nationwide survey. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 2010;13(3):269–277. - PubMed

Associated data

LinkOut - more resources