Effectiveness of a Nurse-Led Intervention for Adolescents With Problematic Internet Use

Abstract

The current study assessed the effect of an intervention on problematic internet use (PIU), biopsychosocial functioning, and academic performance in 100 adolescents with PIU in grades 9 and 11 in Ernakulam District, Kerala, India. Students from four comparable schools were randomly assigned to experimental and wait-list control groups after being screened for PIU. The experimental group participated in a 10-week intervention and parents of these adolescents were provided with two sessions. The wait-list control group received the intervention after the posttest. A PIU questionnaire, sociodemographic data, internet usage pattern, a biopsychosocial functioning tool, and academic performance were used to assess participants at baseline and immediately after and 3 months postintervention. Findings revealed significant differences in PIU; physical, psychological, and social functioning; and academic performance immediately and 3 months postintervention ( p < 0.05). Thus, the intervention was effective in reducing PIU among adolescents and improved their physical, psychological, and social functioning and academic performance. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 58 (7), 16–26.]

Intervention Programs for the Problematic Use of the Internet and Technological Devices: A Systematic Review

“…Among the studies that took longitudinal measures, the educational intervention led by school nurses in the study by Mathew et al [6] had a significant effect (p < 0.01) on the mean scores of the experimental group in problematic Internet use in the three time periods (baseline, immediately after treatment, and 12 weeks later) in which the measures were collected. The results show higher mean scores in the control group than in the experimental group at these three periods (M pretest = 61.27 vs. 52.13; M posttest 1 = 60.93 vs. 34.33; M posttest 2 = 62.03 vs. 42.57, respectively).…”

“…Therefore, Internet addiction and/or problematic Internet use, like other dependency disorders, affect the brain's pleasure center, causing the release of dopamine. These chemical changes cause increasingly more activity and/or time needed to induce the same pleasant response, creating a dependency [6].…”

“…Access to ICTs has also become a precondition for the educational and occupational advancement of young people [6]. In this sense, the Internet can be a beneficial tool when used for educational purposes, such as preparing homework and acquiring knowledge.…”

“…Different health professionals and educators agree that treatment strategies for addressing the problem of Internet addiction must be accompanied by prevention strategies that include the risk factors before the addiction evolves into a more serious form [35,36]. Current scientific consensus calls for the development of well-controlled and methodologically solid interventions for the prevention and treatment of the problematic use of the Internet and new technologies that are based on empirical and theoretical evidence [6]. Among the most widely used programs for the intervention of this problem, we highlight cognitive behavioral therapy, which attempts to influence behaviors by reconstructing thoughts and feelings [37,38].…”