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)
10 de septiembre de 2026 actualizado por: 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.
Descripción general del estudio
Estado
Aún no reclutando
Condiciones
Intervención / Tratamiento
Descripción detallada
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.
Tipo de estudio
Intervencionista
Inscripción (Estimado)
200
Fase
- No aplica
Contactos y Ubicaciones
Esta sección proporciona los datos de contacto de quienes realizan el estudio e información sobre dónde se lleva a cabo este estudio.
Estudio Contacto
- Nombre: Qasir Abbas QAbbas Associated Professor, Phd, Clinical Psychology
- Número de teléfono: 923337683133
- Correo electrónico: qasirabbas47@yahoo.com
Copia de seguridad de contactos de estudio
- Nombre: Ujala MS scholar, MS Clinical Psychology
- Número de teléfono: 03294260921
- Correo electrónico: ujalarauf1214@gmail.com
Ubicaciones de estudio
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Punjab Province
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Faisalabad, Punjab Province, Pakistán, 3800
- Government College University Faisalabad
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Contacto:
- Qasir QAbbas Abbas, Associate Professor, Phd, Clinical Psychology
- Número de teléfono: 923337683133
- Correo electrónico: qasirabbas47@yahoo.com
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Criterios de participación
Los investigadores buscan personas que se ajusten a una determinada descripción, denominada criterio de elegibilidad. Algunos ejemplos de estos criterios son el estado de salud general de una persona o tratamientos previos.
Criterio de elegibilidad
Edades elegibles para estudiar
- Niño
- Adulto
Acepta Voluntarios Saludables
Sí
Descripción
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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Plan de estudios
Esta sección proporciona detalles del plan de estudio, incluido cómo está diseñado el estudio y qué mide el estudio.
¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?
Detalles de diseño
- Propósito principal: Tratamiento
- Asignación: Aleatorizado
- Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación paralela
- Enmascaramiento: Ninguno (etiqueta abierta)
Armas e Intervenciones
Grupo de participantes/brazo |
Intervención / Tratamiento |
|---|---|
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Sin intervención: Grupo de control
Sin tratamiento
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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
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Four-step training program designed to reduce social media addiction and related psychological/academic difficulties among students.
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¿Qué mide el estudio?
Medidas de resultado primarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
|---|---|---|
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Social Networking Addiction Scale
Periodo de tiempo: After 4 weeks and reassessment up to 6 months]
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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).
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After 4 weeks and reassessment up to 6 months]
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Multidimensional Fatigue Scale ( MFS)
Periodo de tiempo: after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
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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.).
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after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
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Tuckman Procrastination Scale
Periodo de tiempo: at screening after 4 weekds, and reassessment up to 6 months]
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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.
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at screening after 4 weekds, and reassessment up to 6 months]
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School Burnout Inventory
Periodo de tiempo: At screening, after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months
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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.
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At screening, after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months
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Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21
Periodo de tiempo: At screening, after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months
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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.
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At screening, after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months
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Colaboradores e Investigadores
Aquí es donde encontrará personas y organizaciones involucradas en este estudio.
Patrocinador
Investigadores
- Investigador principal: Qasir Abbas QAbbas Abbas, Phd, Clinical Psychology, Government College University Faisalabad
Fechas de registro del estudio
Estas fechas rastrean el progreso del registro del estudio y los envíos de resultados resumidos a ClinicalTrials.gov. Los registros del estudio y los resultados informados son revisados por la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM) para asegurarse de que cumplan con los estándares de control de calidad específicos antes de publicarlos en el sitio web público.
Fechas importantes del estudio
Inicio del estudio (Estimado)
15 de septiembre de 2026
Finalización primaria (Estimado)
15 de noviembre de 2026
Finalización del estudio (Estimado)
30 de noviembre de 2026
Fechas de registro del estudio
Enviado por primera vez
10 de septiembre de 2026
Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
10 de septiembre de 2026
Publicado por primera vez (Actual)
15 de septiembre de 2026
Actualizaciones de registros de estudio
Última actualización publicada (Actual)
15 de septiembre de 2026
Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
10 de septiembre de 2026
Última verificación
1 de septiembre de 2026
Más información
Términos relacionados con este estudio
Términos MeSH relevantes adicionales
Otros números de identificación del estudio
- GCUF_4STEP-TPS-2026
Plan de datos de participantes individuales (IPD)
¿Planea compartir datos de participantes individuales (IPD)?
NO
Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio
Estudia un producto farmacéutico regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.
No
Estudia un producto de dispositivo regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.
No
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