Healthc Inform Res.  2016 Jul;22(3):217-230. 10.4258/hir.2016.22.3.217.

Effects of Psychosocial Interventions for School-aged Children's Internet Addiction, Self-control and Self-esteem: Meta-Analysis

• Yeun YR
• Han SJ

• KMID: 2357400
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2016.22.3.217

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was conducted to perform an effect size analysis of psychosocial interventions for internet addiction and to identify the intervention moderators applied to school-aged children.
METHODS
For the meta-analysis, studies were included that were published in English or Korean until January 2015, without limitation in terms of the year. They were retrieved from 11 electronic databases and by manual searches according to predefined inclusion criteria.
RESULTS
A total of 37 studies were selected, which included 11 treatment conditions and covered a total of 1,490 participants. The effect size estimates showed that psychosocial interventions had a large effect for reducing internet addiction (standardized mean difference [SMD], -1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.52 to -0.87) and improving self-control (SMD, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.47) and self-esteem (mean difference, 3.58; 95% CI, 2.03 to 5.12). The moderator analyses reveals that group treatments, a selective approach, a long duration, a community setting, or higher school grade had a larger effect.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this review suggest that psychosocial intervention may be used to prevent Internet addiction in school-aged children, although further research should be conducted using a randomized controlled trial design or diverse age groups to provide evidence-based recommendations.

Keyword

Internet; Addictive Behavior; Schools; Child; Meta-Analysis

MeSH Terms

Behavior, Addictive
Child
Humans
Internet*
Self-Control*

Figure

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  Figure 1 Flow diagram of the study selection.

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  Figure 2 Effect of psychosocial interventions on internet addiction.

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  Figure 3 Effect of psychosocial interventions on self-control.

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  Figure 4 Effect of psychosocial interventions on self-esteem.

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