Self-Compassion and Problematic Gaming: A Randomized Trial

Effects of Self-Compassion on Reducing Problematic Gaming and Its Underlying Mechanisms: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study investigates the impact of self-compassion on reducing problematic gaming behaviors among young adults. Problematic gaming has been linked to anxiety, depression, and social dysfunction, and this study aims to assess how self-compassion can address these issues. The study explores the role of basic psychological needs and social anxiety as mediators in this process.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 308 online game players (M = 22.40, SD = 3.52), who were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 194) or a waitlist group (n = 114). The intervention consisted of an online self-compassion program. Participants completed pretest, posttest, and follow-up questionnaires to assess the changes in self-compassion and problematic gaming behaviors. The results indicated that the intervention significantly increased self-compassion and reduced problematic gaming through the same mediating pathways of basic psychological needs and social anxiety.

These findings suggest that self-compassion training may be an effective intervention for reducing problematic gaming behaviors among young adults, with implications for mental health interventions in gaming communities.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Self-Compassion; Problematic Gaming
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Positive Self - 14-Day Online Self-Compassion Course

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 308
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Beijing, China
    • Beijing Normal University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals aged 18 years or older.
• Any gender.
• Recruited through online platforms.
• No restriction on educational background.
• Participants who regularly engage in online gaming and are willing to reduce or modify their gaming behaviors.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals under 18 years old or those lacking full civil capacity.
• Individuals with diagnosed psychiatric or psychological disorders.
• Individuals without problematic gaming behaviors or without a clear intention to change their gaming habits.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Self-Compassion Intervention Group; Participants in this group received a 14-day online course titled Positive Self, designed to enhance self-compassion. The course included 14 didactic videos (approximately 10 minutes each) on self-compassion concepts and applications, as well as 14 guided audio meditations (approximately 6 minutes each). The meditation practice involved in this intervention began with 3 days of breathing meditation, followed by 11 days of loving-kindness meditation. This intervention has been shown to effectively promote self-compassion in prior research.	Behavioral: Positive Self - 14-Day Online Self-Compassion Course; The Positive Self intervention is a 14-day online course designed to enhance self-compassion. The course includes 14 didactic videos (approximately 10 minutes each) on self-compassion concepts and applications, along with 14 guided audio meditations (approximately 6 minutes each). The meditation practice involves breathing meditation for the first 3 days, followed by 11 days of loving-kindness meditation. This intervention has been shown to effectively promote self-compassion in previous research.
No Intervention: Waitlist Control Group; Participants in this group received no intervention during the 14-day study period and were instructed to refrain from engaging in other meditation or mindfulness practices. They completed the same pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up assessments as the intervention group. After the study concluded, participants in this group were offered access to the Positive Self online self-compassion course.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in problematic gaming behavior score after 14-day self-compassion intervention	Participants' problematic gaming behavior was measured with an eight-item questionnaire adapted from Yang and Zhou (2004), a scale with established reliability and validity in Chinese samples. To match the intervention context, the term "video games" in the original items was replaced with "Genshin Impact" while maintaining the original semantic meaning. Items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree; α = .82). Higher scores reflected more severe problematic gaming behavior.	Baseline, post-intervention (Day 14), and one-month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in self-compassion score after 14-day self-compassion intervention	Participants' self-compassion was measured using the 12-item Short Form of the Self-Compassion Scale (Raes et al., 2011). The validated Chinese version (Chen et al., 2011) was used in this study. Items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = almost never, 5 = almost always; α = .84). Six items were reverse-scored. Higher total scores reflected greater levels of self-compassion.	Baseline, post-intervention (Day 14), and one-month follow-up
Change in basic psychological needs score after 14-day self-compassion intervention	Participants' satisfaction of basic psychological needs was assessed using a 21-item questionnaire (Gagné, 2003; Liu et al., 2013). Items were rated on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree; α = .88). Nine items were reverse-scored. Higher scores reflected greater fulfillment of basic psychological needs.	Baseline, post-intervention (Day 14), and one-month follow-up
Change in social anxiety score after 14-day self-compassion intervention	Participants' social anxiety was assessed using the 17-item Social Phobia Inventory. Items were rated on a 5-point scale (0 = not at all, 4 = extremely; α = .82). Higher scores reflected greater severity of social anxiety symptoms.	Baseline, post-intervention (Day 14), and one-month follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Beijing Normal University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 15, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 9, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): April 21, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 26, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 26, 2025
• First Posted (Estimated): December 8, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 16, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 9, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: BNU-poslab-IGD-2025; 202304140074 (Other Identifier: Institutional Review Board of the Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University); 202304140075 (Other Identifier: Institutional Review Board of the Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: The decision regarding sharing individual participant data (IPD) has not yet been finalized. Data may be shared in de-identified form after publication, depending on ethical approval and institutional policies at that time.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No