Effectiveness of the school-based "PROTECT" primary prevention program to reduce Gaming Disorder and problematic internet use in 15 regional centres in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Effectiveness of the school-based "PROTECT" primary prevention program to reduce Gaming Disorder and problematic internet use in 15 regional centres in Baden-Württemberg, Germany - PROTECTconfirm

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Phase 3

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00033989

Enrollment

1800

Registered

2024-04-03

Start date

2020-11-09

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-04-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Internet Gaming Disorder (DSM-5, study diagnosis), Gaming Disorder (F63.8/ 6C51), Internet Addiction (F63.8/ 6C5Z), Social Media Use Disorder (F63.8/ 6C5Y) Buying Shopping Disorder (6C7Y), Compulsive sexual behavior disorder (6C72), Gambling Disorder (F63.0/6C50), Disorders due to use of alcohol (F10/ 6C40), Disorders due to use of cannabis (F12/ 6C41), Depressive Disorders (F3/ 6A7), Anxiety Disorders (F40/ 6B

Interventions

Group 1: PROTECTtraining, an internet-use disorder specific cognitive-behavioral preventive group intervention for adolescents in secondary schools (4 sessions of 90 minutes over 4 weeks, 1 session pe

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

10 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: students at secondary-schools at grade 6 or older without maximum age

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: No parental consent

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Internet Use Disorder Symptoms (speficically: any Gaming Disorder, Social Media Use Disorder or other Internet Use Disorder) over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up), by the modified Video Game Dependency Scale (German: Computerspielabhängigkeitsskala; CSAS), which assesses Internet Gaming Disorder and Unspecified Internet Use Disorders according to DSM-5 criteria.	—

Measure

Time frame

Internet Use Disorder Symptoms (speficically: any Gaming Disorder, Social Media Use Disorder or other Internet Use Disorder) over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up), by the modified Video Game Dependency Scale (German: Computerspielabhängigkeitsskala; CSAS), which assesses Internet Gaming Disorder and Unspecified Internet Use Disorders according to DSM-5 criteria.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Compulsive Internet Use (general) over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS). Gaming Attitudes over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Gaming Attitude Test (GAT). Gaming Disorder Symptoms (ICD-11) over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT). Internet Gaming Disorder Symptoms (DSM-5) over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS). Social Media Disorder Symptoms over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS). Alcohol Use Disorders over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Cannabis Abuse over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) Problematic Gambling over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by Lie/Bet Questionnaire. Personality, assessed at T1 (Baseline) by the Big Five Inventory for Children and Adolescents (BFI-K KJ). General Psychopathology over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Emotion Regulation over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form (DERS-SF). Social Anxiety Symptoms over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follo	—

Measure

Time frame

Compulsive Internet Use (general) over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS). Gaming Attitudes over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Gaming Attitude Test (GAT). Gaming Disorder Symptoms (ICD-11) over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT). Internet Gaming Disorder Symptoms (DSM-5) over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS). Social Media Disorder Symptoms over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS). Alcohol Use Disorders over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Cannabis Abuse over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) Problematic Gambling over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by Lie/Bet Questionnaire. Personality, assessed at T1 (Baseline) by the Big Five Inventory for Children and Adolescents (BFI-K KJ). General Psychopathology over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Emotion Regulation over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follow-Up) and T4 (12-Months Follow-Up) by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form (DERS-SF). Social Anxiety Symptoms over 12 months, assessed at T1 (Baseline), T2 (1-Month Follow-Up), T3 (4-Months Follo

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Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactKatajun Lindenberg

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

lindenberg@uni-mainz.de06131-3930634

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Sep 6, 2026