Adding mindfulness to therapy showed promise for internet-addiction symptoms
A small randomized study in Chinese college students reported more sustained improvement with combined treatment, but did not quantify the added benefit.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Adding mindfulness to cognitive behavioral therapy was reported to reduce internet-addiction levels more, and for longer, than therapy alone in this small trial. The finding applies to selected Chinese college students, including participants from higher- and lower-symptom groups. The abstract does not quantify the added benefit or establish its everyday importance.
The trial was small, and the abstract gives no outcome scores, effect sizes, confidence intervals or detailed follow-up results. This limits judgments about precision and practical importance.
What researchers found
Assessed internet-addiction levels
Combined therapy and mindfulness versus therapy alone after an 8-week program; effects were reported as maintained for 6 months.
How targets were selected
The assessment study examined internet-addiction symptoms, automatic thoughts, self-control and anxiety. Statistical analyses identified symptom profiles and highlighted automatic thoughts and anxiety as connections between measured problems, which informed the interventions.
What the comparison tested
Both active programs targeted the identified connections, while the control group completed questionnaires. The abstract reports improvement with the targeted interventions and an advantage for the combined approach, without showing the numerical size of that advantage.
The original publication
Identifying internet addiction profiles and bridge connectors among Chinese college students and evaluating CBT vs. CBT+MBI interventions via a randomized controlled trial.
Liang S, Yu Y, Liu S et al.
J Behav Addict · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41071615
- Record checked
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