An Integrated WeChat-based Intervention for University Students With Internet Addiction: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Internet addiction (IA), also described as pathological or problematic internet use, or internet addiction disorders, refers to a pattern of excessive internet use, and it is a new form of behavioral addiction. There are multiple subtypes of IA including excessive online gaming, sexual preoccupations and excessive messages. The excessive use of internet often generates distress or impairments, and evidence showing IA is accompanied by numerous negative impact physically, psychologically and socially such as ADHD, interpersonal sensitivity4, depression and anxiety, family discord, social problems. Pervious study also suggested IA has a significant correlation with academic performance decrement among students, who were considered as a particular vulnerable population being addicted to internet due to easy access to internet, flexible schedule, positive social atmosphere for computer/smartphone use and lack of parental supervision of internet use. IA is a relatively recent and widespread phenomenon. It was estimated 11% Chinese university students were addicted to internet, and an increase in internet use among Chinese children and adolescents was observed amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

IA is believed have some similarities with substance addiction (e.g. smoking, alcohol drinking and drug abuse) as subjects would undergo same symptoms such as depressed, anxious and lonely, affect neurobiology system with common mechanism, and both suffer from substance withdrawal. The interventions for substance addiction have been adopted to treat IA with promising effect including pharmacotherapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), family-based intervention and motivational interviewing, while the treatment for IA has not been standardized yet. In view of the similar characteristics of IA with substance addiction, brief advice and mobile phone-based personalized behavioral support could be feasible to treat IA which has been proven effective in our previous community-based smoking cessation trial, and the COVID-19 epidemic increased the acceptance of mHealth interventions.

The specific objectives are:

1. . To examine the effectiveness of the integrated model in reducing IA in university students;
2. . To assess the acceptability and feasibility of using the model.