Development and Efficacy of Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program on the Symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder and Psychological Well-being of Adolescents: A Pilot Study

Abstract Introduction: The internet has become an integral part of people’s daily life. However, empirical studies indicate that its prevalent use among adolescents has negatively influenced them and, in some cases, resulted to Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). The World Health Organization has recently recognized individuals with gaming disorder as having a mental health condition. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the feasibility and efficacy of an intervention program that would reduce the level of IGD, and improve the psychological well-being of the adolescents. Method: The development of the program involved the use of sequential exploratory design, pre and post test pilot intervention design, Wilcoxon signed rank test, IGD and Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being (PWB) scales. Focus group discussions and interviews were held to acquire in-depth understanding of the key issues, and the cognitive theoretical models of Pathologic Internet Use and Mindfulness were integrated. Results: The eight module intervention program integrating the theories of Cognitive-Behavioral Model of Pathologic Internet Use and Mindfulness was administered in four weeks on a ۳-hour session per module and was validated by experts in various disciplines. Statistical analyses showed significant difference in the post-test scores of the participants after the administration of the intervention program.   Conclusion: The pilot study using the Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) resulted in reduced levels of IGD and improved the psychological well-being from the selected adolescents. The study confirmed that the concepts and the structure of the program are reliable, feasible, and efficacious for testing on a larger base of adolescents who are at risk of IGD.