Young (2007) Cognitive Behavior Therapy with
Internet Addicts: Treatment Outcomes and
Implications
Aims: Results: Strengths:
To investigate how effective cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) would be for those diagnosed with internet Most problematic online applications: Shows that online CBT sessions can be useful for
addiction ● Males, pornography, chat (sexual), gambling, with a treating internet addiction, which is useful as it
To see how problem behaviours improved over time both during the therapy and after therapy had ended minority reporting gaming is easier for people to access treatment for
● Females, chat (sexual), with a minority reporting addiction (some people can be embarrassed to
general chat, online auction houses, shopping and see a therapist face to face, or find it difficult to
Procedure: gaming find time to go to a therapist)
Participants were 114 clients recruited from the Center for Online Addiction in Pennsylvania, USA 30% of males were addicted to online pornography Standardised procedures
● Of these, 42% were women, 84% Caucasian 30% of females were addicted to online chat rooms The same questions and rating scale was used
● The mean ages for males was 38, and the mean ages for females was 46 96% of participants said their biggest problem caused by their across all the measurements of the goals
● 61% had a 4 year bachelor’s degree addiction was the time taken up by using online apps meaning the data at sessions 3, 8, 12 and after 6
All participants had been screened using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and shown to have an addiction to Most clients showed continuous improvement by session 3, and months was reliable (standardised procedures
using the internet, with some participants excluded beforehand for showing high-risk behaviours with other effective symptom management by sessions 8 and 12, with and consistent assessments)
psychological problems overall improved symptom maintenance by the 6 month follow
After the initial screening, participants had sessions with a principle investigator over a number of weeks up Weaknesses:
involving CBT Clients filled in questionnaires about their own
● The first sessions (functional analysis) focused on finding out information about the background of feelings and behaviour, which might not be
the participant, when their symptoms had started, what kind of symptoms they had as an Conclusions: accurate as people might lie on a questionnaire
individual and how serious these symptoms were when they know they are supposed to be getting
CBT and related techniques and behaviours enabled clients to
● The next few sessions (skills training) helped the participant to develop skills to treat the better (stopping using the internet) so the data
decrease thoughts and behaviours associated with compulsive
symptoms, like stopping using online apps that were causing a problem, and using different might not be valid as a picture of how their
internet use
strategies to reduce the amount of time spent online behaviour has changed during the treatment
Relapse prevention was achieved by clients over a 6 month
A client outcome questionnaire was given to participants during the 3rd, 8th, and 12th online therapy sessions, Different types of internet addiction were
follow up too, suggesting long term benefits as clients reported
and then a 6 month follow up after the treatment sessions had ended identified, and it is not clear whether all types
similar ratings of control
The questionnaire was designed to measure how well CBT was working to treat the symptoms of their internet achieved the same effects from treatment
addiction ● E.g. Young identified online
The questionnaire had 12 questions which participants used a 5 point Likert-type scale to rate their behaviour gambling addicts, those addicted to
or feelings towards a statement (where 1 = not at all and 5 = extremely good/helpful) online pornography and some
Questions included: addicted to internet chat rooms
● How effective counselling was at helping the clients achieve the targeted treatment goals, and the among others
quality of the counselling relationship However the results only show the overall
● Motivation to quit abusing the internet treatment outcomes for each goal, with no
● Ability to control offline activities breakdown for the type of addiction
● Improved relationship functioning
● Improved offline sexual functioning (if applicable)
Internet Addicts: Treatment Outcomes and
Implications
Aims: Results: Strengths:
To investigate how effective cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) would be for those diagnosed with internet Most problematic online applications: Shows that online CBT sessions can be useful for
addiction ● Males, pornography, chat (sexual), gambling, with a treating internet addiction, which is useful as it
To see how problem behaviours improved over time both during the therapy and after therapy had ended minority reporting gaming is easier for people to access treatment for
● Females, chat (sexual), with a minority reporting addiction (some people can be embarrassed to
general chat, online auction houses, shopping and see a therapist face to face, or find it difficult to
Procedure: gaming find time to go to a therapist)
Participants were 114 clients recruited from the Center for Online Addiction in Pennsylvania, USA 30% of males were addicted to online pornography Standardised procedures
● Of these, 42% were women, 84% Caucasian 30% of females were addicted to online chat rooms The same questions and rating scale was used
● The mean ages for males was 38, and the mean ages for females was 46 96% of participants said their biggest problem caused by their across all the measurements of the goals
● 61% had a 4 year bachelor’s degree addiction was the time taken up by using online apps meaning the data at sessions 3, 8, 12 and after 6
All participants had been screened using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and shown to have an addiction to Most clients showed continuous improvement by session 3, and months was reliable (standardised procedures
using the internet, with some participants excluded beforehand for showing high-risk behaviours with other effective symptom management by sessions 8 and 12, with and consistent assessments)
psychological problems overall improved symptom maintenance by the 6 month follow
After the initial screening, participants had sessions with a principle investigator over a number of weeks up Weaknesses:
involving CBT Clients filled in questionnaires about their own
● The first sessions (functional analysis) focused on finding out information about the background of feelings and behaviour, which might not be
the participant, when their symptoms had started, what kind of symptoms they had as an Conclusions: accurate as people might lie on a questionnaire
individual and how serious these symptoms were when they know they are supposed to be getting
CBT and related techniques and behaviours enabled clients to
● The next few sessions (skills training) helped the participant to develop skills to treat the better (stopping using the internet) so the data
decrease thoughts and behaviours associated with compulsive
symptoms, like stopping using online apps that were causing a problem, and using different might not be valid as a picture of how their
internet use
strategies to reduce the amount of time spent online behaviour has changed during the treatment
Relapse prevention was achieved by clients over a 6 month
A client outcome questionnaire was given to participants during the 3rd, 8th, and 12th online therapy sessions, Different types of internet addiction were
follow up too, suggesting long term benefits as clients reported
and then a 6 month follow up after the treatment sessions had ended identified, and it is not clear whether all types
similar ratings of control
The questionnaire was designed to measure how well CBT was working to treat the symptoms of their internet achieved the same effects from treatment
addiction ● E.g. Young identified online
The questionnaire had 12 questions which participants used a 5 point Likert-type scale to rate their behaviour gambling addicts, those addicted to
or feelings towards a statement (where 1 = not at all and 5 = extremely good/helpful) online pornography and some
Questions included: addicted to internet chat rooms
● How effective counselling was at helping the clients achieve the targeted treatment goals, and the among others
quality of the counselling relationship However the results only show the overall
● Motivation to quit abusing the internet treatment outcomes for each goal, with no
● Ability to control offline activities breakdown for the type of addiction
● Improved relationship functioning
● Improved offline sexual functioning (if applicable)
