Effects of a Manualized Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction (STICA)

The purpose of this study is to 1) determine the efficacy of manualized Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer game Addiction (STICA), assess 2) the durability of treatment response in these patients and 3) the impact on associated psychiatric symptoms, e.g. social anxiety and depression.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Addiction
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: STICA Intervention

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 187
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Austria
  • Vienna, Austria, 1230
    • Anton Proksch Insitut, Therapy Centre for the Treatment of Addictions
• Germany
  • Mainz, Germany, 55131
    • University Medical Center Mainz, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Outpatient clinic for behavioral addictions
  • Mannheim, Germany, 68159
    • Central Insitute for Mental Health
  • Tübingen, Germany, 72076
    • University Medical Center Tübingen

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 13 years to 51 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• clinical diagnosis of internet or computer game addiction
• internet or computer game addiction according to the AICA-Checklist(Assessment of Internet and Computer game addiction, expert Rating)
• a score >/= 7 in the AICA-S (Assessment of Internet and Computer game addiction, Self Rating)
• patients with primary diagnoses of internet or computer game addiction
• if currently on psychotropic medications, no change in medications and dosages in the past 2 months and during STICA treatment
• if currently off all psychotropic medications, patient has been off at least 4 weeks
• at least 4 weeks off from last psychotherapy and no other ongoing psychotherapy

Exclusion Criteria:

• current Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) < 40
• severe major depression (BDI-II Score >/= 29)
• current alcohol or drug addictions
• personality disorders: borderline, antisocial, schizoid and schizotypal
• lifetime diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar or organic mental disorder
• current unstable medical illness

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Wait list control
Experimental: STICA Intervention	Behavioral: STICA Intervention; Manualized Short-term Treatment for Internet and Computer game Addiction (STICA) based on cognitive behavior-therapy (combining individual and group therapy)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change in internet or computer game addiction (self-rating)	4 and 10 months after randomization

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change/Remission of internet or computer game addiction (expert rating)	4 and 10 months after randomization
Preoccupation with critical internet applications or computer games (hours per week)	4 and 10 months after randomization
Improvement of negative consequences (e.g. social communication, psychosocial well being)	4 and 10 months after randomization
Improvement of depressive symptoms (changes in BDI-II)	4 and 10 months after randomization
Improvement of social fear and avoidance (changes in Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale)	4 and 10 months after randomization
Improvement of Expectances of self-efficacy (Changes in Assessment of Self-Efficacy)	4 and 10 months after randomization

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: M. E. Beutel, Prof. Dr., University Medical Center Mainz, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Wolfling K, Muller KW, Beutel M. [Reliability and validity of the Scale for the Assessment of Pathological Computer-Gaming (CSV-S)]. Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 2011 May;61(5):216-24. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1263145. Epub 2010 Sep 27. German.
• Wolfling K, Muller KW, Dreier M, Ruckes C, Deuster O, Batra A, Mann K, Musalek M, Schuster A, Lemenager T, Hanke S, Beutel ME. Efficacy of Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Oct 1;76(10):1018-1025. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.1676. Erratum In: JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Sep 4;:
• Jager S, Muller KW, Ruckes C, Wittig T, Batra A, Musalek M, Mann K, Wolfling K, Beutel ME. Effects of a manualized short-term treatment of internet and computer game addiction (STICA): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2012 Apr 27;13:43. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-13-43.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 8, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 14, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): September 15, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 11, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 10, 2017
• Last Verified: October 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: psychotherapy; internet addiction; computer game addiction; STICA; short-term treatment; internet and computer game addiction
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior; Behavior, Addictive
• Other Study ID Numbers: BE 2248/10-1