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

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01434589
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: September 15, 2011
• Last Update Posted: October 11, 2017
• Sponsor: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): M.E. Beutel, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Study Description

Brief Summary:

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.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment	Phase
Addiction	Behavioral: STICA Intervention	Not Applicable

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Actual Enrollment: 187 participants
• Allocation: Randomized
• Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Official Title: Effects of a Manualized Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction
• Study Start Date: January 2012
• Actual Primary Completion Date: June 2017
• Actual Study Completion Date: August 2017

Arms and Interventions

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)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. Change in internet or computer game addiction (self-rating) [ Time Frame: 4 and 10 months after randomization ]

Secondary Outcome Measures :

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

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 17 Years to 55 Years (Child, Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: Male
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Criteria

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

Contacts and Locations

Locations

Austria

Anton Proksch Insitut, Therapy Centre for the Treatment of Addictions

Vienna, Austria, 1230

Germany

University Medical Center Mainz, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Outpatient clinic for behavioral addictions

Mainz, Germany, 55131

Central Insitute for Mental Health

Mannheim, Germany, 68159

University Medical Center Tübingen

Tübingen, Germany, 72076

Sponsors and Collaborators

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Investigators

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

More Information

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.

Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):

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.

• Responsible Party: M.E. Beutel, Univ.-Prof. Dr.med. Dipl.-Psych. M.E. Beutel, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01434589
• Other Study ID Numbers: BE 2248/10-1
• First Posted: September 15, 2011
• Last Update Posted: October 11, 2017
• Last Verified: October 2017

Keywords provided by M.E. Beutel, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz:

internet addiction; computer game addiction; STICA; short-term treatment; psychotherapy; internet and computer game addiction

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Behavior, Addictive; Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior