The Effect of Psychosocial Interventions for Reducing Co-occurring Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Individuals with Problematic Internet Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of psychosocial interventions in reducing problematic Internet use (PIU), anxiety, and depression symptoms in a sample of people. This review was registered on the PROSPERO database (CRD42020181912) and a total of 15 studies were included. Analyses of the effect of the interventions were conducted based on the standardized mean difference of the studied outcomes (PIU, anxiety, and depression). Most studies reported a positive effect of psychosocial interventions on reducing symptoms of PIU, depression, and anxiety among people with PIU. However, only one detected a robust effect in reducing symptoms of anxiety. For depression, this effect was more modest, and there was no difference between the different modalities of psychosocial interventions. The results suggest that psychosocial interventions are effective in reducing both symptoms of PIU and co-occurring symptoms of depression and anxiety in individuals with PIU.