Effectiveness of 4-Step Training Program for Doomscrolling, Cyberchondriac Behavior and Psychiatric Symptoms Among Individuals With Social Media Addiction: A Randomized Trial
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 尚未招募
- 入组人数
- 80
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS)
研究概览
简要总结
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of the 4-Step Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS) in reducing social media addiction, doomscrolling, cyberchondriac behavior, depressive symptoms, and health anxiety among young adults. The study aims to promote healthier digital habits, psychological well-being, and improved daily functioning. Participants with elevated social media addiction will complete a 4-week intervention with one session per week. They will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a waitlist control group. Pre- and post-intervention assessments will be conducted to determine the program's effectiveness.
详细描述
In this research, a sample of approximately N = 300 young adults will be initially enrolled for eligibility screening from public and private universities in Faisalabad and Sahiwal, Pakistan, using purposive sampling techniques. Participants will be aged between 18 and 28 years and will have no history of severe physical, psychiatric, or psychological disorders. After eligibility assessment and screening based on standardized measures, N = 80 participants will be selected and randomly allocated to the experimental and waitlist control groups.
This study is expected to provide valuable evidence for mental health practitioners regarding effective interventions for managing social media addiction among young adults. The 4-STEP Training Program is anticipated to enhance participants' awareness and understanding of problematic digital behaviors, including doomscrolling and cyberchondriac behavior. The intervention is also expected to reduce depressive symptoms and health anxiety, improve self-regulation and promote healthier digital habits. Furthermore, the program is expected to enhance psychological well-being, academic functioning, and overall productivity while significantly reducing levels of social media addiction.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Treatment
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 29 Years（Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Age range: 18-29 years
- •No physical, psychiatric, or psychological conditions
- •Minimum score of 84 on the Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS)
- •Minimum score of 23 on the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12)
排除标准
- •Age below 18 or above 29 years
- •Presence of any physical, psychiatric, or psychological conditions
- •Score below 84 on the Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS)
- •Score below 23 on the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12)
研究组 & 干预措施
Experimental Group: Individual Setting
4-STEP-Training Program in 1-1 Setting
干预措施: 4-STEP-Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS) (Behavioral)
Control Group
No Intervention
结局指标
主要结局
Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS)
时间窗: At screening, after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
The Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS) was developed to measure addiction of all forms of social networking across six-dimensions salience (items 1-4), mood modification (items 5-7), tolerance (items 8-10), withdrawal (items 11-14), conflict (item 15-17), and relapse (items 18-21) (Shahnawaz \& Rehman, 2020). The SNAS is a self-reported scale which entails 21-items scale rated on 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The score can range from 21 to 147. Any score above a total score of 84 signifies addiction. The scale has demonstrated good test-retest reliability of 0.88 and good validity as reported by Shahnawaz and Rehman (2020).
Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12)
时间窗: At screening, after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
The Cyberchondria Severity Scale-12 (CSS-12), developed by Eoin McElroy et al. (2019), is a 12-item self-report measure assessing excessive, anxiety-provoking online health searches across four dimensions: compulsion, distress, excessiveness, and reassurance-seeking. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Never to 5 = Always), with total scores ranging from 12-60; higher scores indicate greater cyberchondria. The scale is brief, reliable, and valid, suitable for both clinical and non-clinical populations, and widely used to evaluate problematic health-related online behavior.
Doomscrolling Scale (DS)
时间窗: At screening, after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
The Doomscrolling Scale was developed to assess compulsive engagement with negative online news content and excessive scrolling behavior, particularly during times of crisis (Sharma et al., 2022). The scale measures three core dimensions: obsessive news consumption, emotional distress, and behavioral compulsion. It is a self-report instrument consisting of 15 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always). The total score is calculated by summing all item responses, with higher scores indicating greater levels of doomscrolling behavior. The scale has demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.88) and satisfactory construct validity (Sharma et al., 2022).
Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI)
时间窗: At screening, after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
The Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI) was developed to assess health-related anxiety and preoccupation with physical symptoms, independent of actual medical status (Salkovskis et al., 2002). The scale measures two main dimensions: perceived likelihood of illness and perceived negative consequences of illness. It is a self-report instrument consisting of 18 items, each presenting four response options scored from 0 to 3, reflecting increasing levels of health anxiety. Total scores range from 0 to 54, with higher scores indicating greater levels of health anxiety. The SHAI has demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with reported Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.86 to 0.95, and strong convergent and construct validity. The HAI is a reliable and valid measure of health anxiety (Salkovskis et al., 2002).
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
时间窗: At screening, after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was developed to measure the severity of depressive symptoms based on the diagnostic criteria of major depressive disorder (Kroenke et al., 2001). The scale assesses nine core symptoms of depression, including low mood, loss of interest, fatigue, sleep disturbances, appetite changes, concentration difficulties, feelings of worthlessness, psychomotor changes, and suicidal ideation. The PHQ-9 is a self-report instrument consisting of 9 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). Total scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater severity of depressive symptoms. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) is a self-administered version of the PRIME-MD diagnostic instrument for common mental disorders(The PHQ-9 - Kroenke - 2001 - Journal of General Internal Medicine - Wiley Online Library, 2001).
次要结局
未报告次要终点
研究者
Qasir Abbas
Assistant Professor - Clinical Psychology
Government College University Faisalabad