Videoconference-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Parents of Adolescents With Internet Addiction: Pilot...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Internet addiction is a growing concern, particularly among adolescents.
• Adolescents often resist traditional treatment for internet addiction.
• Parent-focused interventions show promise for improving adolescent behavior and parent-child relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of remote cognitive behavioral therapy (vCBT) delivered via videoconferencing.
• To evaluate vCBT for parents of adolescents diagnosed with internet addiction.

Main Methods:

• A pilot randomized controlled trial involving 13 parents of adolescents (aged 12-20) with internet addiction.
• Participants were assigned to either 12 sessions of vCBT or a waitlist control group.
• Outcomes included adolescent internet addiction scores, internet usage hours, diagnostic questionnaires, and quality of life, measured at baseline and 13 weeks.

Main Results:

• The vCBT group showed a decrease in mean Internet Addiction Test scores from 67.7 to 56.2.
• The control group showed an increase in mean Internet Addiction Test scores from 66.9 to 68.0.
• No statistically significant differences were found between the groups for any outcome measures (P > .05).

Conclusions:

• The study suggests that vCBT is a practically feasible intervention for parents of adolescents with internet addiction.
• Further large-scale, multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the effectiveness of vCBT.