Efficacy of the Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) on the Internet Gaming Disorder Symptoms of Selected Asian Adolescents

Empirical evidences associating internet gaming disorder (IGD) with poor psychological well-being are increasing. As IGD becomes an emerging issue of significant public health concern, the World Health Organization has recently recognized it as a mental health condition. This study examined the efficacy of the Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) in reducing the symptoms of IGD and improving the psychological well-being of adolescent gamers from selected Asian cultures after proving it effective in a prior study of Indian setting. The development of the ACRIP involved the use of sequential exploratory design and randomized controlled trial of two groups comprising forty (40) participants. Internet gaming disorder (IGDS9-SF) and Ryff’s psychological well-being scales were used to measure the severity of the gaming disorder and state of psychological health of the test groups. Post-test scores of the experimental group in the t test showed a significant difference compared with its pre-test scores, and Cohen’s d test indicated a large effect on the extent of efficacy of the ACRIP. The results of the study suggested that the ACRIP brought about a significant change in the behavior of the experimental group rendering it efficacious and culture-free. To expand its benefits, future research should undertake experimental studies on the efficacy and adaptability of ACRIP on a larger base of adolescents of multicultural backgrounds who are at risk of IGD.