The Effectiveness of 4-STEP-Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS) and Psychological Problems Among Adolescence

Official title

Effectiveness of 4-Step-Training Program for Social Media Addiction(4-STEP-TPS) and Psychological Problems Among Adolescence: A Randomezed Control Trial.

Overview

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the 4-STEP Training Program in reducing social media addiction and improving psychological well-being among adolescents. Increasing use of social media has been linked with anxiety, depression, stress, sleep problems, low self-esteem, and reduced academic performance, particularly among adolescents who are more vulnerable to social comparison, fear of missing out, and reliance on online validation. To address this issue, a structured intervention integrating psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral techniques, and relapse prevention strategies is implemented. The study will involve adolescents aged 13-18 years from private schools and colleges, selected based on standardized cut-off scores for social media addiction and low flourishing. The effectiveness of the program will be assessed by comparing experimental and control groups using validated psychological measures. It is expected that the intervention will significantly reduce social media addiction and psychological distress while improving emotional regulation, flourishing, and academic functioning.

Detailed description

The present study focuses on the growing concern of social media addiction among adolescents and its associated psychological consequences. In this research the study will be conducted on adolescents aged 13 to 18 years from selected private schools and colleges. A sample of approximately N=120 participants initially enrolled and will be screened out using standardized criteria, including scores above the cut-off on the Social Networking Addiction Scale and below the cut-off on the Secure Flourish Index. After eligibility assessment and screening based on standardised measure N=80 participants will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving the intervention or a waitlist control group. Data will be collected using validated psychological scales measuring social media addiction, flourishing, anxiety, depression, stress, fatigue, insomnia, family relationships, and academic productivity.

The effectiveness of the intervention will be assessed by comparing pre- and post-intervention outcomes between the two groups using statistical analysis. It is expected that the 4-STEP Training Program will significantly reduce problematic social media use and psychological distress while enhancing emotional regulation, psychological well-being, academic engagement, and overall functioning among adolescents. This study is intended to contribute to the development of practical, structured, and evidence-based interventions for managing social media addiction in youth populations.

To address this growing issue, the study introduces the 4-STEP Training Program, a structured and evidence-based intervention designed to reduce social media addiction and improve psychological functioning. The program integrates four key components: screening and psychoeducation, treatment planning and cognitive-behavioral strategies, effective behavioral management techniques, and relapse prevention. These components aim to help adolescents identify maladaptive thoughts and behaviors related to social media use, develop healthier coping strategies, and build long-term self-regulation skills.

Interventions

• Behavioral 4-STEP-Training Program for Social Media Addiction (4-STEP-TPS)
  The 4-STEP Training Program (4-STEP-TPS) is distinguished from existing interventions by its structured, multi-component, and individualized approach specifically designed for adolescent social media addiction. Unlike traditional interventions that often rely on a single method such as psychoeducation or cognitive-behavioral therapy alone, this program integrates psychoeducation, case conceptualization, cognitive-behavioral techniques, self-regulation strategies, and relapse prevention within a

Primary outcome measures

• Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS, Shahnawaz & Rehman, 2020) [Time frame: At Screening , after 4 weeks, and re-assessment upto 6-months]
• Secure Flourish Index (SFI, Weziak-Bialowolska et al., 2017) [Time frame: At Screening after 4 weeks and reassessment upto 6 months]
• Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS, Michielsen et al., 2003) [Time frame: At Screening, after 4, weeks and re-assessment upto 6-months]
• Insomnia Severity Index (ISI, Bastien et al., 2001) [Time frame: At Screening , after 4 weeks, and re-assessment upto 6-months]
• Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS, Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) [Time frame: At Screening, after 4 week and re-assessment upto 6 months]
• The Brief Family Relationship Scale (BFRS, Fok, Allen, Henry, 2014) [Time frame: After Screening, 4 weeks and re-asessment upto 6 months]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Adolescents aged 13-18 years
• Individuals reporting moderate to high levels of social media addiction (based on standardized scale cut-off, e.g., BSMAS/SNAS)
• Regular social media users with an average daily usage of 4 hours or more
• Willingness to participate with informed consent and parental consent

Exclusion criteria

• Adolescents who do not meet the inclusion criteria
• Diagnosed with severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., psychosis, severe depression)
• Currently receiving psychological or psychiatric treatment for addiction-related problems
• Presence of serious physical or neurological conditions
• Individuals who are not regular social media users
• Participants who fail to complete pre-test or post-test assessments

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Treatment

Study locations

Pakistan · 1 center

• Government College University Faisalabad — Faisalabad

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07564115 · GCUF.FS.TPS

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗