Objective:
To explore the intervention effect of sports combined with group psychological counseling on the psychological craving, addiction sererity, as well as comorbid depression with anxiety severity of college students with smartphone addiction.
Methods:
Totally 148 smart-phone addicts were randomly divided into 3 groups(sports group 49 students, group psychological counseling group 50 students, sports group counseling group 49 students). Smartphone addiction was evaluated by using the University Student Smartphone Addiction Scale(SAS-C); the degree of mental hunger was assessed by the Visual Analog Scale(VAS); the Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD) and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA) were used to evaluate the degree of anxiety and depression. All scales were evaluated before intervention, after intervention and 3 months after the intervention.
Results:
The SAS-C,VAS,HAMD,HAMA scores of the three groups decreased with time(F=36.05,38.54,37.27,39.27,P<0.01), and the scores were the lowest in the sports group counseling group, SAS-C,VAS,HAMD,HAMA followed by the group counseling group and the highest in the sports group(F=34.33,32.36,32.34,34.96,P<0.01). Howevey, all the 3 groups still had depression and anxiety symptoms after 3 months of intervention.
Conclusion
Sports, group psychological counseling, sports combined with group counseling can all differentially help decreasing the psychological cravings and addiction levels of smartphone addicts and severity of depression and anxiety with the latter shows the highest effectiveness, followed by the group counseling and sports intervention alone.