AI-supported chat coaching to reduce problematic internet use - A randomized controlled pilot study

AI-supported chat coaching to reduce problematic internet use - A randomized controlled pilot study - PROTECTai

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00036567

Enrollment

Registered

2025-04-01

Start date

2025-05-05

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-08-03

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

Conditions

F63.8

Interventions

Group 1: Intervention group: PROTECTai - AI-supported chat coaching using ChatGPT - 3 (usually weekly) sessions

content: internet use in the context of 1) boredom, 2) procrastination, and 3) social anxiety - Adaptation of Lindenberg et al., 2020, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-43784-8, 2022, doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

16 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Student status Sufficient German language skills CIUS sum score = 24

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Current psychotherapeutic treatment

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Symptoms of unspecified internet use disorder: Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) - Measurement occasions: baseline, post-intervention, 3-month follow-up	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (iSOCRATES), Internet-Use Expectancies Scale (IUES) Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11) Patient Health Questionnaire – ultrabrief screener (PHQ-4) Mini Social Phobia Inventory (mini-SPIN) WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale – brief version (DERS-18) Emotion Regulation Questionnaire – short form (ERQ-S) Procrastination Scale for Students (PFS) Multidimensional State Boredom Scale - short form (MSBS-8) Session Rating Scale (SRS) Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS) Adapted manual adherence form for the PROTECT intervention Working Alliance Inventory – short revised (WAI-SR) Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-I) Negative Effects Questionnaire (NEQ) Summary of measurement occasions and instruments: Baseline assessment: Demographics CIUS iSOCRATES IUES PHQ-4 mini-SPIN WHO-5 DERS-18 ERQ-S PFS MSBS-8 ACSID-11 AI experience (self-developed) treatment expectancy (self-developed) Sessionwise assessments: SRS CTS (study staff) Manual adherence (study staff) Post-assessment: CIUS iSOCRATES IUES PHQ-4 mini-SPIN WHO-5 DERS-18 ERQ-S PFS MSBS-8 WAI-SR CSQ-I NEQ 3-month follow-up assessment: CIUS iSOCRATES IUES PHQ-4 mini-SPIN WHO-5 DERS-18 ERQ-S PFS MSBS-8	—

Measure

Time frame

Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (iSOCRATES), Internet-Use Expectancies Scale (IUES) Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11) Patient Health Questionnaire – ultrabrief screener (PHQ-4) Mini Social Phobia Inventory (mini-SPIN) WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale – brief version (DERS-18) Emotion Regulation Questionnaire – short form (ERQ-S) Procrastination Scale for Students (PFS) Multidimensional State Boredom Scale - short form (MSBS-8) Session Rating Scale (SRS) Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS) Adapted manual adherence form for the PROTECT intervention Working Alliance Inventory – short revised (WAI-SR) Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-I) Negative Effects Questionnaire (NEQ) Summary of measurement occasions and instruments: Baseline assessment: Demographics CIUS iSOCRATES IUES PHQ-4 mini-SPIN WHO-5 DERS-18 ERQ-S PFS MSBS-8 ACSID-11 AI experience (self-developed) treatment expectancy (self-developed) Sessionwise assessments: SRS CTS (study staff) Manual adherence (study staff) Post-assessment: CIUS iSOCRATES IUES PHQ-4 mini-SPIN WHO-5 DERS-18 ERQ-S PFS MSBS-8 WAI-SR CSQ-I NEQ 3-month follow-up assessment: CIUS iSOCRATES IUES PHQ-4 mini-SPIN WHO-5 DERS-18 ERQ-S PFS MSBS-8

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactDaniel Huth

Universität Heidelberg, Psychologisches Institut

daniel.huth@psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de+49 6221 54 7318

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Aug 10, 2026