Cambios psicológicos en una muestra clínica de adolescentes con Trastorno de Juego por Internet / Psychological changes of an adolescent clinical simple with Internet Gaming Disorder

El Trastorno de juego en Internet (IGD) se ha convertido en objeto de estudio en todo el mundo para ofrecer servicios especializados de salud mental a las personas afectadas. Sin embargo, prima la escasez de estudios relacionados con la efectividad de los tratamientos psicológicos para el IGD. El objetivo principal del presente estudio es evaluar los cambios psicológicos producidos durante el proceso de intervención del "Programa Individualizado Psicoterapéutico para la Adicción a las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación" (PIPATIC) en adolescentes con IGD. MÉTODO: La muestra se compone de 31 adolescentes (de 12 a 18 años) de dos centros públicos de salud mental, asignados a (I) grupo experimental de intervención PIPATIC o (II) grupo de control de Terapia Cognitivo Conductual estándar (TCC). La intervención se evaluó en las fases pre, durante y post-tratamiento. RESULTADOS: No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre ninguno de los grupos en la fase de pretratamiento. En relación con las diferentes intervenciones examinadas, se encontraron diferencias significativas en las pruebas previas y posteriores en las siguientes variables: trastornos comórbidos, habilidades interpersonales y medidas de los terapeutas. Ambos grupos experimentaron una reducción significativa de los síntomas relacionados con el IGD, aunque el grupo PIPATIC experimentó mejoras significativas más relevantes tanto en el IGD cómo en el resto de variables examinadas. DISCUSIÓN Y CONCLUSIONES: Los resultados sugieren que el programa PIPATIC ha estimulado cambios más significativos en el tratamiento del IGD y sus síntomas comórbidos y habilidades sociales que la TCC. Por otro lado, cabe remarcar que la TCC estándar también consiguió mejoras en los participantes respecto al uso de videojuegos y la sintomatología del IGD. En consecuencia, el uso de un enfoque integrador que cuyo foco de intervención refiera tanto al IGD cómo a los síntomas comórbidos, las habilidades intrapersonales e interpersonales y la psicoterapia familiar parece resultar más efectivo en facilitar cambios psicológicos en adolescente que un foco de intervención únicamente centrado en abordar el trastorno adictivo

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has become the subject of study all around the world in order to provide specialist mental health services for affected persons. Nevertheless, there is a definite shortage of studies on the effectiveness of psychological treatments for IGD. The main objective of this paper is to assess the psychological changes that take place during the intervention process on the "Individualised Psycho-therapy Program for Addiction to Information and Communication Technologies" (IPPAICT) in adolescents with IGD. METHOD: The sample consisted of 31 adolescents (aged 12 to 18) from two public mental health centres, assigned to (I) experimental IPPAICT group, or (II) Standard Behavioural Cognitive Therapy (SBCT). Interventional was assessed in the pre, during and post treatment stages. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between either of the groups in the pre-treatment stage. In regard to the different types of intervention, significant differences were observed in tests before and after in relation to the following variables: comorbid disorders, interpersonal skills and therapy measures. Both groups reported a significant reduction in the symptoms related to IGD, although the IPPAICT group reported more relevant significant improvements in IGD and the rest of the variables. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the IPPAICT programme brought about more significant changes in IGD treatment and comorbid symptoms and social skills than SBCT. On the other hand, attention is also brought to the fact that standard SBCT also reported improvements in the participants in regard to the use of videogames and IGD symptoms. Consequently, an integrating approach focussing on IGD and comorbid symptoms, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills and family psychotherapy appear to be more effective in bringing about psychological changes than an approach that exclusively focusses on treating the addiction disorder

Treatment efficacy of a specialized psychotherapy program for Internet Gaming Disorder.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has become health concern around the world, and specialized health services for the treatment of IGD are emerging. Despite the increase in such services, few studies have examined the efficacy of psychological treatments for IGD. The primary aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a specialized psychotherapy program for adolescents with IGD [i.e., the "Programa Individualizado Psicoterapéutico para la Adicción a las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación" (PIPATIC) program]. METHODS: The sample comprised 31 adolescents (aged 12-18 years) from two public mental health centers who were assigned to either the (a) PIPATIC intervention experimental group or (b) standard cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) control group. The interventions were assessed at pre-, middle-, and post-treatment phases, as well as a 3-month assessment was carried out after completing the interventions. RESULTS: No significant differences between either group in the pre-treatment phase were found. Relating to the different interventions examined, significant differences were found at pre-test and post-test on the following variables: comorbid disorders, intrapersonal and interpersonal abilities, family relationships, and therapists' measures. Both groups experienced a significant reduction of IGD symptoms, although the PIPATIC group experienced higher significant improvements in the remainder of the variables examined. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that PIPATIC program is effective in the treatment of IGD and its comorbid disorders/symptoms, alongside the improvement of intra- and interpersonal abilities and family relationships. However, it should also be noted that standard CBT was also effective in the treatment of IGD. Changing the focus of treatment and applying an integrative focus (including the addiction, the comorbid symptoms, intra- and interpersonal abilities, and family psychotherapy) appear to be more effective in facilitating adolescent behavior change than CBT focusing only on the IGD itself.

Internet gaming disorder in adolescence: Psychological characteristics of a clinical sample.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has become a topic of increasing research interest since its inclusion in Section 3 of the DSM-5. Given the lack of clinical studies concerning IGD, exploring the characteristics of clinical samples with IGD will help to delineate the gaming disorder construct and inform future treatment studies. METHODS: Data collection consisted of clinical interviews comprising 31 male adolescents diagnosed with IGD. Alongside the clinical interviews, the participants were administered a battery of psychometric tests assessing the following: IGD, personality traits, comorbid symptomatology, emotional intelligence (EI), and family environment characteristics. RESULTS: The results showed that the adolescents with IGD and their relatives reported a high number of hours per week and high presence of stressful life events in the majority of the sample. High scores on scales assessing depression, anxiety, and somatic disorders were found. However, the findings indicate the presence of several other comorbid disorders meaning that some of the adolescent sample with IGD had different clinical profiles. Several personality traits were found to be highly associated with IGD including introversion, inhibition, submissiveness, self-devaluation, interpersonal sensibility, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, phobic anxiety, and hostility, as well as paranoid and borderline personality traits. Other negative characteristics found in the present sample included a high level of social problems, low EI, and dysfunctional family relationships. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest a more global pattern of key psychological characteristics associated with Internet gaming disorder in adolescence. This may help in understanding the complexity of this proposed disorder and it may also help in designing more specialized interventions for adolescents with IGD. The findings have important implications for clinical practice and interventions.

The Treatment of Internet Gaming Disorder: a Brief Overview of the PIPATIC Program.

Over the last decade, there has been an increase in children and adolescents accessing psychology services regarding problematic use of online videogames. Consequently, providing effective treatment is essential. The present paper describes the design process of a manualized PIPATIC (Programa Individualizado Psicoterapéutico para la Adicción a las Tecnologías de la información y la comunicación) intervention program for 12- to 18-year-old adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder. The design and application of the PIPATIC program integrates several areas of intervention structured into six modules: psychoeducational, treatment as usual, intrapersonal, interpersonal, family intervention, and development of a new lifestyle. The program's goals are to reduce the addiction symptoms related to online videogames and to improve the well-being of adolescents. Preliminary findings suggest positive and encouraging effects.