Investigating the Effectiveness of a Virtual-Reality-Based Mindfulness Intervention on Internet Gaming Disorder
Selma Tvrtković, Pınar Ünal‐Aydın
Behavioral Sciences November 27, 2024 DOI: 10.3390/bs14121137 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Non-randomized controlled trial Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 27 |
| Population | Participants meeting Internet Gaming Disorder symptom criteria, recreational game users, and healthy controls without gaming history |
| Intervention | Virtual reality-based mindfulness intervention |
| Dose | four weekly 20-min sessions |
| Duration | 4-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Intervention counseling Psychological intervention Clinical psychology Randomization Randomized controlled trial Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | A brief VR-based mindfulness intervention significantly reduced IGD symptoms and weekend gaming time in the treatment group. |
Abstract
Novel treatment approaches for Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) include the use of mindfulness and technology-based interventions. Mindfulness has been shown as a protective factor against IGD, but the treatment dropout rates are high due to long sessions and treatment duration. Pathological gamers show approach bias towards technological gadgets, and the inclusion of Virtual Reality has been effective in IGD treatment. Due to the effectiveness of mindfulness and the attractiveness of VR, a combined intervention could decrease treatment time and willingness for treatment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a brief VR-based mindfulness intervention on IGD symptomatology. Nine participants meeting the IGD symptom criteria, ten recreational game users, and eight healthy controls without a gaming history participated in the study. The intervention consisted of four weekly 20-min-long Attentional Focus Mindfulness sessions. The results indicate a significant reduction in IGD symptoms and weekend gaming time in the treatment group. Despite the small sample size in the treatment group (n = 9) and lack of randomization, the findings constitute a valuable starting point. As a cost- and time-effective intervention, this approach could reduce dropout rates and increase treatment adherence, especially in younger gamers. Additional studies with a larger sample size, randomization, and a longitudinal approach are needed to further validate the found results.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cites 17
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Examining the Efficacy of a Brief Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (Brief MBSR) Program on Psychological Health Journal of American College Health June 24, 2013
- Efficacy of 8- and 4-Session Mindfulness-Based Interventions in a Non-clinical Population: A Controlled Study Frontiers in Psychology August 8, 2017
- Brief mindfulness training enhances cognitive control in socioemotional contexts: Behavioral and neural evidence PLoS One July 19, 2019
and 12 more in the library