Effectiveness and satisfaction of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children on anxiety, depression, and internet addiction in adolescents: Study protocol for a randomized control trial.
Masume Bakhtiari, Mojtaba Habibi Asgarabad, Fahimeh Dehghani, Khadijeh Abolmaali Alhosseini, Randye J Semple
PloS one January 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317824
Summary
Adolescents struggling with Internet addiction often face heightened anxiety and depression, creating a cycle of worsening addiction. A proposed clinical trial will involve 80 Iranian adolescents aged 12 to 15, comparing the effects of 12 sessions of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children (MBCT-C) against life skills training. Assessments will gauge changes in mindfulness, depression, anxiety, and internet addiction before, after, and three months post-intervention. This approach aims to effectively address mental health challenges linked to Internet addiction in youth.
Abstract
Adolescents with Internet addiction (IA) frequently encounter elevated levels of anxiety and depression, which subsequently results in the perpetuation of their addiction behaviors. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children (MBCT-C) is an adapted version of traditional MBCT that targets emotional problems in children. The present study aimed to provide a framework for the implementation of a clinical trial for its effectiveness in reducing anxiety, depression, and IA in adolescents with IA. This study protocol proposes a randomized controlled trial with two parallel arms (MBCT-C versus active control). Eighty Iranian adolescents (Persian ethnicity; males and females; 12 to 15 years) diagnosed with IA will be randomly assigned to the intervention group (12 sessions of MBCT-C group therapy) or the control group (12 life skills training sessions). Pre-intervention, post-intervention, and three-month follow-up assessments will be conducted using Mindful Attention Awareness Scale-Adolescents (MAAS-A), Mindfulness Program Satisfaction Questioner (MPSQ), Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Children (STAI-C), MBCT-C Adherence Scale (MBCT-C-AS), and Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Data will be analyzed using mixed regression model using STATA-18 to assess the effectiveness of MBCT-C. The current study has the potential to make a significant contribution to evaluate the effectiveness of MBCT-C to address IA, anxiety, and depression in adolescents with IA.