Social Media Addiction
Conditions
Keywords
Cognitive Fatigue, Psychological Distress, Procrastination, Academic Burnout, Adolescents
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of the 4-Step Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS) in reducing social media addiction, cognitive fatigue, psychological distress, academic burnout, and procrastination among university students. The study aims to promote healthier digital habits, psychological well-being, and improved academic functioning. Participants with elevated social media addiction will complete a 4-week intervention with one session per week. They will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a waitlist control group. Pre- and post-intervention assessments will be conducted to determine the program's effectiveness.
Detailed description
In this research, a sample of approximately N = 200 school students will initially be approached for eligibility screening. Participants will be aged between 13 and 18 years and will be currently enrolled in a school. Participants with a minimum score of 84 on the Social Media Addiction Scale will be eligible for inclusion. Students with a history of severe physical illness, psychiatric or psychological disorders, or psychotic illness will be excluded. After eligibility assessment and screening, N = 40 participants will be selected and randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 20) and a waitlist control group (n = 20). The 4-Step Training Program will be delivered over four weeks, with one session per week. The program focuses on psychoeducation, treatment conceptualization and planning, effective management strategies, self-regulation, and relapse prevention. The study will assess changes in social media addiction, cognitive fatigue, psychological distress, academic burnout, and procrastination from pre-intervention to post-intervention. The study is expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of a structured intervention for managing social media addiction among university students. The 4-Step Training Program is anticipated to reduce social media addiction, cognitive fatigue, and psychological distress. Furthermore, the intervention is expected to improve academic functioning by reducing academic burnout and procrastination, while promoting healthier digital habits, better self-regulation, psychological well-being, and overall academic productivity.
Interventions
BEHAVIORAL4-STEP-TPS
Four-step training program designed to reduce social media addiction and related psychological/academic difficulties among students.
Sponsors
Government College University Faisalabad
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Masking description
Participants will be blinded to their group allocation and will not be informed whether they are assigned to the experimental or control group. The intervention provider will not be blinded because they will deliver the 4-Step Training Program to the experimental group.
Intervention model description
This study uses a randomized controlled trial design to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured 4-Step Training Program for reducing social media addiction and associated cognitive fatigue, psychological distress, academic burnout, and procrastination among university students. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to an experimental group receiving the 4-Step Training Program or a control group. The intervention will be delivered over four weeks, with one session per week. Participants will be assessed before and after the intervention to examine changes in the study outcomes.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
13 Years to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Participants aged 13-18 years. Participants with a minimum score of 84 on the Social Media Addiction Scale.
Exclusion criteria
1) Participants below 13 years or above 18 years of age. Participants with any diagnosed psychiatric disorder or mental health condition. \-
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Social Networking Addiction Scale | After 4 weeks and reassessment up to 6 months] | Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS) was developed to measure addiction of all forms of social networking across six-dimensions salience (items 1-4), mood modification (items 5-7), tolerance (items 8-10), withdrawal (items 11-14), conflict (item 15-17), and relapse (items 18-21) (Shahnawaz \& Rehman, 2020). The SNAS is a self-reported scale which entails 21-items scale rated on 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The score can range from 21 to 147. Any score above a total score of 84 signifies addiction. The scale has demonstrated good test-retest reliability of 0.88 and good validity as reported by Shahnawaz and Rehman (2020). |
| Multidimensional Fatigue Scale ( MFS) | after 4 weeks, and reassessment up to 6 months | The scale was designed to assess fatigue-related experiences among children and adolescents across multiple domains of functioning. The PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale consists of 18 items divided into three subscales: General Fatigue, Sleep/Rest Fatigue and Cognitive Fatigue with each subscale comprising six items. The instrument uses a 5-point Likert-scale response format which range from (0=Never to 4=Almost Always) with participants indicating how frequently they experienced each fatigue-related symptom during the past month. Lower scores on the Multidimentional Fatigue Scale items indicated greater levels of cognitive fatigue among the participants (Varni, n.d.). |
| Tuckman Procrastination Scale | at screening after 4 weekds, and reassessment up to 6 months] | The scale was developed to assess individual's tendencies to delay, postpone or avoid completing tasks and responsibilities. Since its development the TPS has been widely used to examine procrastination in educational settings among adolescent and student populations. The scale consists of 16 items and employs a 4-point Likert-scale response format ranging from (1=That is not me for sure, to 4=That is me for sure). Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which each statement describes their typical behavior. Higher scores on the scale indicate a greater tendency toward procrastination. |
| School Burnout Inventory | At screening, after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months | School Burnout Inventory (SBI-9) 2009a). The instrument was designed to assess school-related burnout among adolescents and has been widely used in educational and psychological research to evaluate students' experiences of exhaustion and disengagement related to academic demands. In the present study, the School Burnout Inventory was administered to measure academic burnout among adolescent school students. The instrument was considered appropriate because it captures the multidimensional nature of burnout within the school context and has demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties among adolescent populations. Scores on all items were summed to obtain an overall measure of academic burnout with higher scores reflecting greater levels of burnout. |
| Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 | At screening, after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months | Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). The DASS-21 and has been widely used in both clinical and non-clinical populations (S. H. Lovibond \& Lovibond, 2011). The scale consists of 21 items distributed across three subscales: Depression, Anxiety and Stress with each subscale comprising seven items. The instrument employs a 4-point Likert-type response format ranging from (0=Never to 3=Always). Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which each statement applied to them during the previous week. In the present study the Urdu version of the DASS-21 was administered to measure psychological distress among adolescent school students. |
Countries
Pakistan
Contacts
CONTACTQasir Abbas QAbbas Associated Professor, Phd, Clinical Psychology
CONTACTUjala MS scholar, MS Clinical Psychology
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORQasir Abbas QAbbas Abbas, Phd, Clinical Psychology
Government College University Faisalabad
Outcome results
None listed