Effectiveness of the digital parental-family-centered program for problematic gaming and screen use in a clinical...

Problematic gaming and screen use may be associated with psychosocial, academic, and mental-health difficulties in children. The digital Parental-Family-Centered Program (P-FAME) is a brief, digitally delivered, parent-focused program developed in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. This study examined its feasibility and preliminary associations with change in child screen time, family functioning, and parental stress over time.

Prospective single-group pre-post feasibility study.

Twenty-nine parents of 22 children (mean child age 10.6 years) participated in three online group sessions delivered over five weeks. Standardized measures were administered at baseline and post-intervention, including Screens-Q (screen time and rules), SCORE-15 (family functioning), and the Parental Stress Scale (PSS). Linear mixed-effects models accounting for clustering within families estimated change from pre-intervention to post-intervention.

From baseline to post-intervention, children's weekly screen time decreased (adjusted mean difference: -1400 min/week, p < .001; d = -1.81), as did parental stress (p = .036; d = -0.63). The PSS stress subscale also decreased (p = .048, d = 0.59). No statistically significant changes were observed in overall family functioning or parental satisfaction. Child ADHD diagnosis and age did not significantly moderate the observed changes.

In this uncontrolled clinical study, participation in P-FAME was associated with lower child screen time and parental stress. The findings provide preliminary feasibility and outcome signals that require confirmation in adequately powered controlled studies with longer follow-up and broader implementation measures.