Effects of Group Counseling Programs, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Sports Intervention on Internet Addiction in East Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Jun Liu,Yafeng Wang,Jing Nie

doi:10.3390/ijerph14121470

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of group counseling programs, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and sports intervention on Internet addiction (IA), a systematic search in ten databases was performed to identify eligible studies without language restrictions up to January 2017. A meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) was performed, respectively. A total of 58 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which included 2871 participants, were incorporated into our meta-analysis. The results showed that group counseling programs, CBT, and sports intervention could significantly reduce IA levels (group counseling program: standardized mean difference (SMD), −1.37; 95% confidence interval (CI), −1.89 to −0.85; CBT: SMD, −1.88; 95% CI, −2.53 to −1.23; sports intervention: SMD, −1.70; 95% CI, −2.14 to −1.26). For group counseling programs, this treatment was more effective in four dimensions of IA, including time management, interpersonal and health issues, tolerance, and compulsive Internet use. For CBT, this treatment yielded a positive change in depression, anxiousness, aggressiveness, somatization, social insecurity, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism. For sports intervention, the significant effects were also observed in all dimensions of the IA scale. Each of group counseling programs, cognitive behavioral therapy, and sports intervention had a significant effect on IA and psychopathological symptoms. Sports intervention could improve withdrawal symptoms especially.

Highlights

With the Internet rapidly developing, IA (Internet addiction) has become considerable in public health, education, and relevant fields
58 After articles were included in our meta-analysis with 112 determined beobtain potentially eligible
The previous meta-analysis by Park et al identified the beneficial effect of group counseling programs for teenagers with IA [9], which was in agreement with our results

Summary

Introduction

With the Internet rapidly developing, IA (Internet addiction) has become considerable in public health, education, and relevant fields. IA is defined as excessive and compulsive Internet use which causes distress and serious results in social and occupational problems [1]. Over the last 15 years, the number of Internet users has increased rapidly, IA has become a widespread and problematic phenomenon. It is estimated that IA affects 1.5–8.2% of the general population in the United. States and Europe [2,3]. The prevalence of IA has increased rapidly in East Asia.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion