Abstract
Background
In the last few years, excessive internet use and computer gaming have increased dramatically. Salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict, and relapse have been defined as diagnostic criteria for internet addiction (IA) and computer addiction (CA) in the scientific community. Despite a growing number of individuals seeking help, there are no specific treatments of established efficacy.
Methods/design
This clinical trial aims to determine the effect of the disorder-specific manualized short-term treatment of IA/CA (STICA). The cognitive behavioural treatment combines individual and group interventions with a total duration of 4 months. Patients will be randomly assigned to STICA treatment or to a wait list control group. Reliable and valid measures of IA/CA and co-morbid mental symptoms (for example social anxiety, depression) will be assessed prior to the beginning, in the middle, at the end, and 6 months after completion of treatment.
Discussion
A treatment of IA/CA will establish efficacy and is desperately needed. As this is the first trial to determine efficacy of a disorder specific treatment, a wait list control group will be implemented. Pros and cons of the design were discussed.
Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials (NCT01434589)
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Details
1 University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Outpatient Clinic for Behavioural Addictions, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Mainz, Germany (GRID:grid.410607.4)
2 University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Trials (IZKS), Mainz, Germany (GRID:grid.410607.4)
3 University Hospital Tübingen, Section Addiction Medicine and Addiction Research, Tübingen, Germany (GRID:grid.411544.1) (ISNI:0000000101968249)
4 Anton-Proksch Institute Wien, Wien, Austria (GRID:grid.411544.1)
5 Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Addiction Medicine, Mannheim, Germany (GRID:grid.413757.3) (ISNI:0000000404772235)