The effect of solution-focussed education and counselling on problematic internet usage, sleep quality and school achievement: A randomized controlled trial.

AIM

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of solution-focussed education and counselling on problematic internet usage, sleep quality and school achievement.

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial was conducted between January - December 2016 with 44 adolescents who participated in a solution-focussed intervention to address their problematic internet usage and poor sleep quality. After the intervention, the teens were followed up for 6 months to measure problematic Internet usage, sleep quality and school achievement using the Internet Addiction Test, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, Parent-Child Internet Addiction Scale and the students' end-of-term school grades. Data were analysed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences programme using Chi-square test, Independent t test, Man-Whitney U test, Friedman test and Spearman correlation analysis.

RESULTS

The median Internet Addiction Test and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index scores of the adolescents in the intervention group were significantly lower than those of the controls (P < 0.05), and there was a positive and moderate association between problematic Internet usage and sleep quality in both groups after the follow-up (r = 0.537, P = 0.010; r = 0.576 P = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

The education and counselling intervention decreased problematic Internet usage and increased sleep quality. There was also an improvement in school achievement, but the difference was not significant.