Clinical Research Directory

Group Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Problematic Internet Use in Nepalese University Students

Problematic internet use, using the internet in ways that interfere with daily life, is a growing concern among university students in Nepal, where studies report prevalence rates between 21.5% and 35.4%. Despite this, structured, evidence-based intervention trials in Nepalese academic settings remain scarce. This study tested a six-session group program based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps people change unhelpful behaviors around internet use. Sessions lasted 90 minutes and were delivered weekly by supervised Master's-level psychology students who completed 40 hours of CBT training, which the makes the program affordable and scalable for university settings. Fifty-nine undergraduate students took part: 30 received the group program and 29 formed the comparison group. Both groups completed the Internet Addiction Test and the General Self-Efficacy Scale at five time points: before the program, immediately after, and at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months later. Students in the program showed significantly greater reductions in internet addiction symptoms than the comparison group immediately after the program (p = .049) and at 1 month, where a large effect was observed (d = -0.83, p = .003). At 3 months, the difference between groups was no longer statistically significant because the comparison group also continued to improve; however, the program group maintained a large reduction from baseline (d = 1.18). Students in the program also showed a significant increase in self-efficacy that remained stable through every follow-up (all p \< .032). Adherence and acceptability were high: participants attended an average of 5.06 of 6 sessions, 80% attended at least 5 sessions, and satisfaction with the therapy reached 78.3% of the maximum possible score. These findings suggest that a structured, group-based CBT program is an effective and acceptable approach for managing problematic internet use among Nepalese undergraduates and offers a potentially scalable framework for academic institutions in low-resource settings.

Group-based IMPROVE Therapy for Problematic Internet Use in University Students

Problematic internet use (PIU) is a growing behavioral health concern among university students. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and psychological mechanisms of "IMPROVE," a manualized, multimodal group-based psychotherapy. The IMPROVE program integrates cognitive-behavioral strategies with motivational elements, mindfulness training, and socially interactive exercise. In this randomized controlled trial, 600 university students with moderate to severe PIU will be randomized to either the 8-week IMPROVE intervention or an enhanced waitlist control group. The primary outcome is the change in PIU severity, assessed by the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) score, from baseline to the post-intervention endpoint (8 weeks).

Reducing Problematic Internet Use and Improving Well-Being in Adolescents Through Online Yoga Meditation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of an online Sahaja Yoga meditation program on problematic internet use, mental well-being, self-esteem, and psychological distress among adolescents and youth in the United States. Participants aged 12-18 years were randomly assigned to either a six-week online meditation intervention or a waitlist control group. The meditation sessions were delivered online by experienced adolescent practitioners of Sahaja Yoga meditation under adult supervision. All participants completed standardized self-report questionnaires before and after the intervention period. The study examined whether participation in the meditation program was associated with improvements in mental well-being and self-esteem, as well as reductions in problematic internet use and psychological distress. A follow-up assessment was also conducted for participants in the intervention group.

The Impacts of Mindfulness on Psychological Wellbeing Among Nursing Students

The aims of this study are to develop a mindfulness-based elective course for nursing students and to evaluate its effects on psychological well-being, including mindfulness, depression, anxiety, stress, and problematic internet use, empathy, among nursing students.

The Effect of Transtheoretical Model Based Healthy Internet Use Programme on Problematic Internet Use, Social Skills and Self-Efficacy Level

Adolescence is an important developmental stage to promote positive behaviours and prevent psychological difficulties. Internet addiction problems are more common among children and adolescents worldwide. During adolescence, when many changes such as maturation and gaining autonomy are experienced, the internet is used to escape from responsibilities in life and to cope with adaptation problems. Internet addiction brings many different problems such as changing behavioural changes, deterioration in social functions, and decrease in academic success. For this reason, psychosocial and model-based interventions are important in reducing adolescents' internet addiction and ensuring safe internet use. It is emphasised that behavioural interventions and awareness practices should be started at an early age to reduce problematic internet use (Ding \& Li,.2023). Since adolescents spend most of their time at school, schools are very important for the acquisition of healthy behaviours (Throuvala, et al. 2019; Yeun \& Han, 2016). Providing access to students in schools is necessary to reach more students and prepare a suitable learning environment (Throuvala, et al 2019). When the literature is examined, it is proven that school-based programmes are effective for adolescents to develop positive behaviours on various issues (Spaas et al 2023; Grande et al 2023). Especially in schools, it is necessary to support healthy internet use and self-efficacy with awareness studies that will prevent adolescents' internet addiction through educational programmes. TTM or mindfulness programmes applied to different age groups have been found to be effective in reducing internet use problems (Chang et al 2023; Hafez et al 2023). However, school-based studies on reducing problematic internet use in Turkey are very few. It is important to conduct school-based internet addiction studies in order to benefit science and society in terms of this deficiency in Turkey. In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect of Transtheoretical (Behaviour Change) Model and Mindfulness-Based Healthy Internet Use Programme on problematic internet use, social skills and self-efficacy levels of adolescents. This study aims to determine the effect of Transtheoretical Model Based Healthy Internet Use Programme Supported by Mindfulness Exercise on Problematic Internet Use, Social Skills and Self-Efficacy Level. This research is a randomised controlled study designed in experimental type, pre-test post-test design. The research will be conducted in Namık Kemal Secondary School in Meram district of Konya province. The sample group was determined as 37 intervention and 37 control groups, totalling 66 students. The pre-test data of the intervention and control groups will be collected by the researcher in the classroom environment before the programme starts and the post-test data will be collected after the programme is completed. In order to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of the students and to form appropriate groups, the Personal Information Form created by the researcher will be used to determine the Internet addiction levels of the students, the Internet Addiction Scale will be used to determine the Internet addiction levels of the students, the Self-Efficacy Scale for Children and the Social Emotional Learning Skills Scale will be used to evaluate the self-efficacy of the students. In the study, data will be collected in two stages (pre-test and post-test) based on self-report with a face-to-face questionnaire form in the classroom environment. At the end of the programme, it is expected that students' internet addiction will decrease and their social support and self-efficacy levels will increase.