Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavior Therapy on the Violent Ideations of Young Adults; an Experimental Study of Internet Gaming Addicts

Purpose: The increasing prevalence of internet gaming addiction in recent times has caused major concerns about its psychological and behavioral impacts, particularly violent ideations. This study explores the relationship between internet gaming addiction and violent ideations in young adults, emphasizing the need for effective intervention strategies. These results highlight the potential of CBT as a robust intervention mechanism for people suffering from violent ideations due to internet gaming addiction. Methodology: The study was divided into two parts. The first study was qualitative, and it was conducted to assess the perceptions of internet gamers and non-gamers about internet gaming and the existence of violent ideations in Pakistan. The second study was quantitative; its sample was 200 young adults (M=135, F=65) recruited from gaming lounges and universities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The second study was divided into two phases, screening phase and quantitative phase. Two scales were used for assessment: the Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10) and the Violent Ideations Scale (VIS) (Kiraly et al., 2017; Murray et al., 2018). Findings: Findings revealed that internet gaming addiction (IGA) is positively significantly correlated with violent ideations (VI) (p<.001), and internet gaming addiction also significantly predicts violent ideations (p<.001). It also explores the impact of demographics, revealing no significant correlation between gaming addiction and violent ideations across age, gender, marital status, living situation, while a significant correlation between IGA and VI across gaming hours and gaming duration. The study also includes an intervention stage in which the participants underwent a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) intervention plan. A paired sample t-test was applied to compare the mean differences, and the analysis of the pre-test and post-test scores showed a significant decrease in violent ideations in internet gamers (r=.937, p<.001). Unique Contributions to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study is guided by Vygotsky’s activity theory, which is a framework that describes human activities as complex, interrelated systems. The theory focuses on human actions' collective, artifact-mediated, and object-oriented nature. It looks at an activity as a system with components like subjects, tools, and constantly interacting objects. The study recommends that research be conducted in other demographic regions or on a broader level. The study also recommends that more comparative intervention-based research should be conducted to compare different treatment methods.