Craving Behavior Intervention in Ameliorating College Students' Internet Game Disorder: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Craving, as a central feature of addiction and a precursor of relapse, is targeted recently in addiction intervention. While Internet gaming disorder (IGD), conceptualized as a behavioral addiction, is lack of effective treatment practice and exploration of its mechanism. This research aims to test the effectiveness and detect the active ingredients of craving behavior intervention (CBI) in mitigation of IGD among young adults. A total of 63 male college students with IGD were assigned into the intervention group (six-session CBI intervention) or the waiting-list control group. Structured questionnaires were administered at pre-intervention (T1), post-intervention (T2), 3-month follow-up (T3), and 6-month follow-up (T4). Compared to the control group, a significant decrease in the severity of IGD in intervention group was found at post-intervention and lasting to 6 months after intervention. The value changes of craving could partially mediate the relationship between intervention and changes of IGD among all effects tests (immediate, T2-T1; short-term, T3-T1; and long-term effects, T4-T1). Further, explorations of the active ingredients of intervention found depression relief and shift of psychological needs from Internet to real life significantly predict craving amelioration at both post-intervention and 6-month follow-up. Although preliminary, the current study provides evidence for the value of craving-aimed intervention practice in IGD treatment and identifies two potential active ingredients for mitigation of craving, and the long-term therapeutic benefits are further conferred.Registry name: The behavioral and brain mechanism of IGD;URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02550405;Registration number: NCT02550405.

Lives on the Line: The Online Lives of Girls and Women With and Without a Lifetime Eating Disorder Diagnosis

“…Indeed, for both groups, receiving ED-related advice online was positively associated with measures of symptomatology and negatively with psychological health. Together, the current findings present a picture compatible with research showing online need satisfaction to be associated positively with pathological internet use and negatively with need satisfaction offline ( Deng et al, 2012 ; Shen et al, 2013 ).…”

Current diagnostic procedures and interventions for Gaming Disorders: A Systematic Review

“…Some studies (Zhang et al, 2016a,b, 2018; Deng et al, 2017; King et al, 2018) were considered at risk for selection bias, because the allocation in the experimental or control group was not random, or because the experimental group was made up only of patients who agreed to participate from a clinical community. In all the studies, it was not possible to estimate performance bias because the blinding procedure of participants and personnel could not be applied because only one of the groups received an intervention (e.g., clinical group vs. healthy group).…”

“…Chen's Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS; Chen et al, 2003) is a 26-item self-report measure that includes five dimensions of Internet use-related symptoms (compulsive use, withdrawal, tolerance, interpersonal relationship problems, and life management). Four studies (Zhang et al, 2016a,b, 2018; Deng et al, 2017) included in this review used the CIAS applying a cut-off of 67 for problematic use, while Ko et al (2014) and Yao et al (2017) did not report the cut-off. All the other studies used different measures to assess GD.…”

“…Six studies (Pallesen et al, 2015; Zhang et al, 2016a,b, 2018; Deng et al, 2017) reported that participants were selected through online questionnaires, newspaper advertisements, and telephone screening, and used in-person semi-structured screening to assess the extent to which the diagnostic criteria were met. However, although the described treatment was conducted by therapists and psychologists, the diagnostic staff and procedures were not described in detail.…”

Gaming Disorder: How to Translate Behavioral Neuroscience Into Public Health Advances

“…The craving behavioral intervention specifically includes aspects of craving perception, detection, and coping with craving [29]. Studies indicate positive effects in terms of decreases in symptom severity, perceived craving, and game play time in GD [26,27]. During confrontation with cues, the intervention altered reactivity within the anterior insular as part of the salience network [29].…”