Breaking the Cycle of Social Media Addiction: Efficacy of a 4-STEP Training Program in Reducing Cognitive Fatigue, Psychological Distress, Academic Procrastination, and Burnout Among Adolescents (4-STEP)

September 10, 2026 updated by: Qasir Abbas, Government College University Faisalabad

Breaking the Cycle of Social Media Addiction: Efficacy of a 4-STEP Training Program in Reducing Cognitive Fatigue, Psychological Distress, Academic Procrastination, and Burnout Among Adolescents - A Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of the 4-Step Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS) in reducing social media addiction, cognitive fatigue, psychological distress, academic burnout, and procrastination among university students. The study aims to promote healthier digital habits, psychological well-being, and improved academic functioning. Participants with elevated social media addiction will complete a 4-week intervention with one session per week. They will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a waitlist control group. Pre- and post-intervention assessments will be conducted to determine the program's effectiveness.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

In this research, a sample of approximately N = 200 school students will initially be approached for eligibility screening. Participants will be aged between 13 and 18 years and will be currently enrolled in a school. Participants with a minimum score of 84 on the Social Media Addiction Scale will be eligible for inclusion. Students with a history of severe physical illness, psychiatric or psychological disorders, or psychotic illness will be excluded. After eligibility assessment and screening, N = 40 participants will be selected and randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 20) and a waitlist control group (n = 20).

The 4-Step Training Program will be delivered over four weeks, with one session per week. The program focuses on psychoeducation, treatment conceptualization and planning, effective management strategies, self-regulation, and relapse prevention. The study will assess changes in social media addiction, cognitive fatigue, psychological distress, academic burnout, and procrastination from pre-intervention to post-intervention.

The study is expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of a structured intervention for managing social media addiction among university students. The 4-Step Training Program is anticipated to reduce social media addiction, cognitive fatigue, and psychological distress. Furthermore, the intervention is expected to improve academic functioning by reducing academic burnout and procrastination, while promoting healthier digital habits, better self-regulation, psychological well-being, and overall academic productivity.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

  • Name: Qasir Abbas QAbbas Associated Professor, Phd, Clinical Psychology
  • Phone Number: 923337683133
  • Email: qasirabbas47@yahoo.com

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Faisalabad, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 3800
        • Government College University Faisalabad
        • Contact:
          • Qasir QAbbas Abbas, Associate Professor, Phd, Clinical Psychology
          • Phone Number: 923337683133
          • Email: qasirabbas47@yahoo.com

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria: Participants aged 13-18 years. Participants with a minimum score of 84 on the Social Media Addiction Scale. Exclusion Criteria:1) Participants below 13 years or above 18 years of age. Participants with any diagnosed psychiatric disorder or mental health condition.

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Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group
No treatment
Experimental: Experimental: Experimental Group: Individual Setting 4-STEP-Training Program in 1-1 Setting

Behavioral: 4-STEP-Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS) 4 Modules with 1 Module being delivered in 1 weekly session of approximately 90 minutes. The details of each module/step is described as follows: Step

  1. (Module 1): S = Screening, Assessment and Psychoeducation: Involves screening and assessment of the problem, interpretation of the results, feedback and psychoeducation, identifying and breaking the resistance, motivation, and conceptualization. Step
  2. (Module 2): T = Treatment Conceptualization and Planning: Involves pattern identification, distortion identification, as well as pattern and distortions modifications. Step 3 (Module 3): E = Effective Management Strategies: Involves management strategies to treat the earlier identified patterns as well as the implementation and confirmation of activities via a Pattern Schedule Chart. Step 4 (Module 4): P = Prevention (Lapse-Relapse): Involves self-reflection and support building, monitoring and dependency check
Behavioral: 4-STEP-TPS
Four-step training program designed to reduce social media addiction and related psychological/academic difficulties among students.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Social Networking Addiction Scale
Time Frame: After 4 weeks and reassessment up to 6 months]
Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS) was developed to measure addiction of all forms of social networking across six-dimensions salience (items 1-4), mood modification (items 5-7), tolerance (items 8-10), withdrawal (items 11-14), conflict (item 15-17), and relapse (items 18-21) (Shahnawaz & Rehman, 2020). The SNAS is a self-reported scale which entails 21-items scale rated on 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The score can range from 21 to 147. Any score above a total score of 84 signifies addiction. The scale has demonstrated good test-retest reliability of 0.88 and good validity as reported by Shahnawaz and Rehman (2020).
After 4 weeks and reassessment up to 6 months]
Multidimensional Fatigue Scale ( MFS)
Time Frame: after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
The scale was designed to assess fatigue-related experiences among children and adolescents across multiple domains of functioning. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale consists of 18 items divided into three subscales: General Fatigue, Sleep/Rest Fatigue and Cognitive Fatigue with each subscale comprising six items. The instrument uses a 5-point Likert-scale response format which range from (0=Never to 4=Almost Always) with participants indicating how frequently they experienced each fatigue-related symptom during the past month. Lower scores on the Multidimentional Fatigue Scale items indicated greater levels of cognitive fatigue among the participants (Varni, n.d.).
after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
Tuckman Procrastination Scale
Time Frame: at screening after 4 weekds, and reassessment up to 6 months]
The scale was developed to assess individual's tendencies to delay, postpone or avoid completing tasks and responsibilities. Since its development the TPS has been widely used to examine procrastination in educational settings among adolescent and student populations. The scale consists of 16 items and employs a 4-point Likert-scale response format ranging from (1=That is not me for sure, to 4=That is me for sure). Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which each statement describes their typical behavior. Higher scores on the scale indicate a greater tendency toward procrastination.
at screening after 4 weekds, and reassessment up to 6 months]
School Burnout Inventory
Time Frame: At screening, after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months
School Burnout Inventory (SBI-9) 2009a). The instrument was designed to assess school-related burnout among adolescents and has been widely used in educational and psychological research to evaluate students' experiences of exhaustion and disengagement related to academic demands. In the present study, the School Burnout Inventory was administered to measure academic burnout among adolescent school students. The instrument was considered appropriate because it captures the multidimensional nature of burnout within the school context and has demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties among adolescent populations. Scores on all items were summed to obtain an overall measure of academic burnout with higher scores reflecting greater levels of burnout.
At screening, after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21
Time Frame: At screening, after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months
Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). The DASS-21 and has been widely used in both clinical and non-clinical populations (S. H. Lovibond & Lovibond, 2011). The scale consists of 21 items distributed across three subscales: Depression, Anxiety and Stress with each subscale comprising seven items. The instrument employs a 4-point Likert-type response format ranging from (0=Never to 3=Always). Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which each statement applied to them during the previous week. In the present study the Urdu version of the DASS-21 was administered to measure psychological distress among adolescent school students.
At screening, after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Government College University Faisalabad

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Qasir Abbas QAbbas Abbas, Phd, Clinical Psychology, Government College University Faisalabad

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

September 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 10, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • GCUF_4STEP-TPS-2026

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

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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