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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06730152

WeChat Intervention for Smartphone Addiction in College Students: A Randomized Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to assess the effectiveness of an intervention based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model to treat smartphone addiction in college students. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does the IMB model-based intervention via WeChat public accounts significantly reduce smartphone addiction scores compared to a control group? Does the intervention lead to an increase in motivation and behavioral skills scores among participants? Researchers will compare the intervention group, which receives IMB-enhanced content through WeChat public accounts, to the control group, which maintains regular activities, to see if there are significant improvements in addiction scores, motivation, and behavioral skills in the intervention group.

Participants will:

Be stratified by gender and randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group.

The intervention group will receive information, motivation, and behavioral skills enhancement via WeChat public accounts over a period of 6 weeks.

Both groups will be assessed for smartphone addiction scores, information-motivation-behavioral skills scores, average daily smartphone use time, sleep duration, sleep quality, and somatic and psychological symptoms before and after the intervention.

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Key information

Conditions

Smartphone Addiction Behavior Behavior, Addictive Compulsive Behavior Impulsive Behavior Internet Addiction Disorder Technology Addiction

Age range

18 year–24 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Anhui Medical University

Hefei, Anhui, 230032, China

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

Meeting the criteria of the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), with a score of ≥31 for males and ≥33 for females indicating smartphone addiction.

College students over 18 years old. Active use of WeChat software. Voluntary participation in this study and signing of the informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria

Currently not enrolled in school due to reasons such as suspension. Currently participating in other research projects. Self-reported diagnosis of any neurological or psychiatric disorder.

Treatment and study plan

WeChat Intervention Based on the IMB Model

Behavioral

The intervention group would undergo a six-week intervention program. Researchers promoted a public WeChat account to the intervention group, and participants received the intervention by following the account. They automatically received pushed articles or videos, providing them with relevant knowledge about overcoming smartphone addiction. Furthermore, they would be motivated to quit their addiction through real-life cases of smartphone addiction etc., in addition to some practical skills of overcoming.

Primary outcomes

  1. smartphone addiction scale scores

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks]

    Smartphone Addiction Scale: The Chinese version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short Version (SAS-SV), containing 10 items. Minimum score of 6, Maximum score of 60, higher scores indicate more severe smartphone addiction .

Secondary outcomes

  1. average daily smartphone use time

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks

    assessed as, "Average daily cell phone use in the last month."

  2. sleep duration

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks]

    assessed as, "Actual sleep time per night for the last 1 month."

  3. sleep quality

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks]

    assessed as, "How would you rate your sleep quality in the past month

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Anhui Medical University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Efficacy of a WeChat Public Account-based Intervention for Smartphone Addiction Among Chinese Undergraduate Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Acronym: smartphone

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Dec 12, 2024
Registry last updated
Dec 12, 2024

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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