Effectiveness and acceptability of cognitive behavioral therapy and family therapy for gaming disorder: Protocol for a one-group pretest-posttest with 3 months follow up and mixed-method design to evaluate a novel psychological treatment. (Preprint)

Abstract

Gaming disorder is a new official diagnosis in the ICD-11, and with its recognition, the need to offer treatment for the condition has become apparent. More knowledge is needed about the type of treatment is needed for this group of patients.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of a novel module-based psychological treatment for Gaming Disorder (GD) based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and family therapy (FT).

This study is a non-randomized interventions study, with pre-test, post-test and 3 month follow up design. It will assess changes in GD symptoms, psychological distress, and gaming time, alongside treatment satisfaction, working alliance, and a qualitative exploration of patients’ and relatives’ experiences of the treatment.

The study started in December 2022 and is expected to end in August 2024.

This study evaluates the effectiveness and acceptability of a psychological treatment for patients with problematic gaming behavior and GD. It is an effectiveness trial and will be conducted in routine care. The study will have a high external validity and ensures that the results are relevant for a diverse clinical population with psychiatric co-morbidity.

The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06018922) https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06018922?cond=gaming%20disorder&rank=1