Trends Psychiatry Psychother. 2021 Nov 28. doi: 10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0348. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of group cognitive-behavioural therapy (GCBT) on pathological internet use.
METHOD: The study applied a group randomized controlled trial design to assign participants to intervention and control groups. A total of 40 college students aged 18 to 30 who were pathological internet users participated in this study and were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Participants completed a self-report scale titled Problematic Internet Use Scale (PIUS) at three time points. The intervention lasted for 8 weeks. The data collected were statistically analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA.
RESULTS: The result showed that GCBT has significant effect in decreasing the symptoms of pathological internet use among the participants in GCBT compared to those in control group and that the improvements were maintained at follow-up. We also found a significant interaction effect by time for pathological internet use.
CONCLUSION: From the finding of the study, we can conclude that GCBT has significant benefit in mitigating severity of pathological internet use among the college students. Therefore, mental health professionals are encouraged to explore the benefits of GCBT in treating symptoms associated with pathological internet use in school setting and beyond.
PMID:34842397 | DOI:10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0348
