Effectiveness of group counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy on self-regulation, self-efficacy and the prevalence of internet addiction among students of QUMS

Abstract Background and objective: Studies highlight high prevalence of psychological and psychiatric problems among students with internet addiction (IA). Given that the pathological mechanism of IA is similar to substance abuse and gambling disorder, group cognitive-behavioral therapy (GCBT) is an efficient strategy to solve the problem of internet addiction in college students. The present study was to determine the effect of group CBT on self-control, self-efficacy and prevalence of IA among students of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences (QUMS). Methods: This randomized controlled trial was performed on 60 students of QUMS which were addicted to the internet. Participants were randomly divided into control (without intervention) and treatment group (GCBT). The experimental group participated in a GCBT program consisted of 10 two-hour sessions based on psychosocial training, cognitive reconstruction, behavior modification and improving emotion regulation. Data were collected using demographic information, Yang IA Test, Brief self-control scale and Compulsive Internet Usage Scale before and 3 months after GCBT. The data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and independent and paired t-test, chi-square and ANCOVA were used for data analysis. Results: General self-efficacy (from 21.90±5.1 to 27.31±3.9, F= 46.131, df = 1, P<0.001) and self-control (from 33.03±4.7 to 44.78±6.1, F= 59.252, df = 1, P<0.001) were significantly improved in the experimental group after GCBT. Also, compulsive internet use (from 41.41±6.35 to 25.13±3.97, F= 163.359, df = 1, P<0.001) and IA (from 60.83±9.95 to 36.10±5.16, F= 183.302, df = 1, P<0.001) were significantly reduced in the experimental group after GCBT. Conclusion: GCBT was effective in dealing with IA in college students and was also found to improve the psychological variables affecting IA. Keywords: prevalence Internet Addiction, Cognitive Behavior Therapy-self regulation- self efficac