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NCT Number: NCT07363850

A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Group Gaming Interventions for Individuals With Problematic Gaming Behavior and Gaming Disorder.

This is a randomized, parallel-group, two-arm study design registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. The study divides participants into an intervention group and a control group in the same ratio. The participants in the intervention group will receive a series of game-based activities and treatment. Firstly, we will distribute the recruitment advertisements for this intervention program in the school, including the project introduction, registration code, and contact details. Secondly, if students are interested in this project, they need to screen the code, and completely fill in personal information, and the screening questionnaire. Thirdly, students reaching the inclusion criteria and their parents will be invited to participate in a project briefing session and obtain their informed consent. Lastly, three times assessments in the whole process will be conducted, preintervention(T0), post-intervention(T1), and at a three-month(T3) follow-up. Importantly, participants can quit the project at any time during the whole process.

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Key information

Conditions

Age range

12 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Shanghai Mental Health Center

Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Na Zhong, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

008613671644472

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • (1) Clinical diagnosis of hazardous gaming defined in the ICD-11 (2) Fully comprehending the research's purpose and procedures and signing the informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • (1)Serious physical illness or intellectual disability (2) Clinical diagnosis of gaming disorder (3) Not completing all the interventions or assessments

Treatment and study plan

group gaming interventions

Behavioral

Each intervention is once a week for 90 minutes. A total of 10 sessions are set up, divided into the beginning stage (the 1st and the 2nd sessions), the middle stage (the 3rd to 8th), and the end stage (the 9th and 10th sessions). At this stage, the leader distributes point cards and wish lists to each member and explains the scoring rules, updating scores at the end of each activity. The point system combines group and individual scoring for cumulative totals. Each member may list desired prizes on their wish list, which will be redeemed for rewards based on their point total when the group concludes. The main aim of the middle stage is to knowledge game types, learn game reward mechanisms, the concept of IGD and influencing factors, and how to play healthily. In the end stage, each subgroup needs to show their complete game design, including the game name, game character, game rule, and reward mechanism, and all participants will make a summary of the whole process and say farewell

Primary outcomes

  1. the severity of gaming disorder

    Time frame: baseline, two months after intervention

    Description: Measured by Gaming Disorder Screening Scale

Secondary outcomes

  1. average daily gaming hours

    Time frame: baseline, two months after intervention

    self-reported number of gaming sessions per week

  2. frequency of gaming sessions

    Time frame: baseline, two months after intervention

    self-reported number of gaming sessions per week

  3. anxiety severity

    Time frame: baseline, two months after intervention

    Measured by: Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) Scale Scale Range: 0 to 21 (higher scores indicate worse anxiety)

  4. depression severity

    Time frame: baseline, two months after intervention

    Measured by: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) Scale Range: 0 to 27 (higher scores indicate worse depression)

  5. self-esteem

    Time frame: baseline, two months after intervention

    Measured by: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES) Scale Range: 0 to 30 (higher scores indicate better self-esteem)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Na Zhong, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

008613671644472

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Shanghai Mental Health Center

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jan 23, 2026
Registry last updated
Jan 23, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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