A pilot randomized controlled trial of videoconference-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for parents of adolescents with Internet addiction (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The rise in Internet addiction, including online gaming and social networking services, is a serious concern. Even with access to medical institutions and counseling services, individuals with Internet addiction, particularly adolescents, often refuse medical treatment or counseling. Parent-focused psychological intervention may lead to positive outcomes by improving the parent–adolescent relationship and helping parents identify and modify their adolescent’s problematic behaviors, including Internet addiction. OBJECTIVE This study was a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the feasibility of remote cognitive behavioral therapy via videoconferencing for parents of adolescents with Internet addiction. METHODS Thirteen parents of adolescents aged 12–20 years with Internet addiction were recruited and randomly assigned to either 12 sessions of the videoconference-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy group (vCBT = 6) or the waitlist control group (control = 7). The study period was from March 1, 2018, to March 31, 2022. The primary outcome was the scores of the Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) reported by the adolescents. The secondary outcomes were adolescents’ hours of Internet use per day, reported by the adolescents and by their parents; the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire by the parents, quality of life of the adolescents and the parents measured by EQ-5D-5L (EuroQol 5-dimensions 5-levels). These were evaluated at weeks 0 and 13. RESULTS As the primary outcome, the mean total IAT score decreased from 67.7±18.3 (n=6) at week 0 to 56.2±25.1 (n=5) at week 13 in the vCBT group, compared to 66.9±21.9 (n=7) to 68.0±18.7 (n=4) in the control group. For all outcomes, no significant differences were found between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS This study suggested the practical feasibility of vCBT for parents of adolescents with Internet addiction. Further large-scale multicenter RCT is necessary to examine the effectiveness.