Digital Occupational Balance and Addiction in University Students

Establishing Occupational Balance in the Digital World: An Analysis of Digital Addiction Through an Educational Intervention for University Students

Young people, who constitute approximately 1.7 billion of the global population, are significantly affected by screen exposure, cyberbullying, and various digital challenges. These issues alter young individuals' participation in daily life activities, increase levels of digital addiction, and disrupt occupational balance, leading to negative consequences for social and personal well-being. The deterioration of occupational balance may adversely affect youths' overall well-being, highlighting the need for occupational therapists to develop preventive and protective interventions for this population.

The proposed research is grounded in potential occupational therapy interventions targeting young people in Türkiye. Previous studies have demonstrated that technological advancements play a determining role in young individuals' daily lives. Considering that this situation may also influence academic performance, the present study has been designed to examine the effects of digital addiction on occupational competence and occupational balance among university students. The study will employ a Sociodemographic Information Form, the Digital Addiction Scale, the Occupational Self-Assessment, and the Activity-Role Balance Questionnaire. Following these assessments, participants will receive a structured educational intervention delivered by an expert instructor, focusing on the appropriate, safe, and meaningful use of technology. The effectiveness of the training will also be evaluated.

The target population of the study consists of individuals currently enrolled in higher education. The research will be conducted with students from Istanbul Gelisim University, located in the Avcılar district of Istanbul. The findings of this project are expected to provide occupational therapy students and practicing occupational therapists with an updated perspective on healthy technology use. In this context, practicing occupational therapists will contribute to the scientific development of the country.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Students
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Occupational Balance-Focused Digital Well-Being Education Program

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: HÜLYA YAMAN DAĞDELEN; Phone Number: +905419775047; Email: ergoterapisthulya@gmail.com

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • BEYKOZ
    • Istanbul, BEYKOZ, Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Recruiting
      • Istanbul Medipol University
      • Contact: HÜLYA RESEARCH ASSISTANT; Phone Number: +905419775047; Email: ergoterapisthulya@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Voluntary participation in the study

Being between 18 and 24 years of age

Currently enrolled as a university student

Ability to read and understand Turkish

Exclusion Criteria:

Diagnosis of specific learning disability

Diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Being employed in addition to being a student

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Digital Balance Education Group

Behavioral: Occupational Balance-Focused Digital Well-Being Education Program; A structured educational intervention delivered by a licensed occupational therapist to promote healthy and meaningful technology use among university students. The program focuses on increasing awareness of digital addiction and understanding its impact on daily life activities, occupational competence, and occupational balance. The session includes psychoeducation about problematic smartphone and social media use, screen-time awareness, time management strategies, and practical techniques to support balanced participation in academic, social, and leisure activities. The intervention is delivered in a classroom setting using standardized presentation materials. Baseline assessments are completed prior to the education, and follow-up assessments are repeated one month later to evaluate changes in digital addiction levels, occupational balance, and occupational self-assessment outcomes

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Digital Addiction Scale (DAS)	1 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Occupational Balance Questionnaire - Turkish Version (OBQ11-T / ARDA11-T)	1 month
Occupational Self Assessment (OSA, Version 2.2)	1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Medipol University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bailey, E., Boland, A., Bell, I., Nicholas, J., Sala, L. L., & Robinson, J. (2022). The mental health and social media use of young australians during the covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1077. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031077 Baron K, Kielhofner G. A User's Manual for the Occupational Self Assessment (OSA)(Version 2.2): Model of Human Occupational Clearinghouse, Department of Occupational …; 2006. Crabtree, J. L. (1998). The end of occupational therapy. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy: Official Publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 52(3), 205-214. Goldstone, A., Willoughby, A. R., Zambotti, M. d., Clark, D. B., Sullivan, E. V., Hasler, B. P., … & Baker, F. C. (2019). Sleep spindle characteristics in adolescents. Clinical Neurophysiology, 130(6), 893-902. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2019.02.019 Günal, A, Pekçetin, S, Demirtürk, F, Şenol, H, Håkansson, C, Wagman, P. (2020). Validity and Reliability Of The Turkish Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ11-T). Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy, 27(7): 493- 499. Katsushi Yokoi, Nobuyuki Miyai, Kumiko Tsuji, Miho Arima, Shigeki Kurasawa, Hiroko Hayakawa, Yuji Uematsu, & Mikio Arita. (2021). Associations between deterioration of self-rated health and occupational form among community-dwelling Japanese individuals. Public Health in Practice, 2, Article 100147. Kirca, K., and Kutluturkan, S. (2019). Effect Of Smart Phone Addıctıon Levels Of Nursing Students On Their Communication Skills. Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 5(2), 81-85. https://doi.org/10.30934/kusbed.523924 Kirik, A., Arslan, A., Cetinkaya, A., & Gul, M. (2015). A quantitative research on the level of social media addiction among young people in Turkey. International Journal of Sport Culture and Science, 3(3), 108-122. Pekcetin, S., Gunal, A., & Håkansson, C. (2021). The relationship between occupational balance and sma
• American Occupational Therapy Association. (2014). Occupational therapy practice framework. Domain and process. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68 (Supplement 1), S1-S48.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 2, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 2, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 2, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Occupational balance; digital addiction; occupational competence
• Other Study ID Numbers: E-10840098-202.3.02-2973

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

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