Multidimensional family therapy reduces problematic gaming in adolescents: A randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Background and aimsSocial variables including parental and family factors may serve as risk factors for Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in adolescents. An IGD treatment programme should address these factors. We assessed two family therapies – multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) and family therapy as usual (FTAU) – on their impact on the prevalence of IGD and IGD symptoms.MethodsEligible for this randomised controlled trial comparing MDFT (N = 12) with FTAU (N = 30) were adolescents of 12–19 years old meeting at least 5 of the 9 DSM-5 IGD criteria and with at least one parent willing to participate in the study. The youths were recruited from the Centre Phénix-Mail, which offers outpatient adolescent addiction care in Geneva. Assessments occurred at baseline and 6 and 12 months.ResultsBoth family therapies decreased the prevalence of IGD across the one-year period. Both therapies also lowered the number of IGD criteria met, with MDFT outperforming FTAU. There was no effect on the amount of time spent on gaming. At baseline, parents judged their child’s gaming problems to be important whereas the adolescents thought these problems were minimal. This discrepancy in judgment diminished across the study period as parents became milder in rating problem severity. MDFT better retained families in treatment than FTAU.Discussion and ConclusionsFamily therapy, especially MDFT, was effective in treating adolescent IGD. Improvements in family relationships may contribute to the treatment success. Our findings are promising but need to be replicated in larger study.Trial registration numberISRCTN 11142726.

Emerging experience with selected new categories in the ICD‐11: complex PTSD, prolonged grief disorder, gaming disorder, and compulsive sexual behaviour disorder

“…They found that those with gaming disorder reported significant functional impairment across multiple domains, including academic and work performance, social functioning, and physical health (including problems related to sleep, pain, body weight, vision, and physical exercise). Psychological interventions designed to reduce gaming time and gaming disorder symptoms have demonstrated significant improvements in global measures of functional impairment 154,204 .…”

“…The Kurihama Medical and Addiction Centre in Japan reported treating more than 200 patients with gaming disorder in 2019, which for many adolescent patients involved working with parents and other family members 157 . In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS)-funded specialist service for gaming disorder, positioned within the National Centre for Behavioural Addictions, received more than 50 patients between January and May in 2021 204 . Other studies have shown that individuals with gaming-related problems may also seek assistance from gambling treatment services 199 , units that specialize in the treatment of behavioural addictions 151,154 , broader treatment providers dealing with addictive disorders in general 204 , or non-specialized services 200 .…”

“…Recently, a randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of a manualized CBT program for gaming disorder found that most patients (69%) who received the intervention showed remission compared with less than one-fourth (24%) of those in a waitlist control group 154 . Other approaches that have been tested in clinical trials include motivational interviewing and counseling, family therapy, and psychosocial rehabilitation 204,216 .…”

Requirements of a Group Intervention for Adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder in a Clinical Setting: A Qualitative Interview Study

“…Within these, treatment effectiveness is often defined by a significant reduction of digital media use times and addictive symptoms [6]. Moreover, only very few randomized controlled trial studies exist [29][30][31]. In general, CBT has been shown to be an effective treatment [20,21].…”

“…Marginally better treatment outcomes for CBT were found for short-term thinking scores. Nielsen et al [31] showed that multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) keeps families in treatment with more success than family therapy as usual (FTAU). Treatment was completed in all MDFT cases and 70% of FTAU cases.…”