Abstract
Background. The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of group logotherapy (meaning-centered therapy) and group motivational interviewing on reducing Internet addiction among Iranian male adolescents.
Methods. This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest–posttest design and a one-month follow-up, including a control group. The statistical population consisted of all male second-period high school students in Tabriz. A total of 45 students who obtained the highest scores on the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire (KDAI) were selected as the sample and randomly assigned to three groups of 15 (2 experimental groups and 1 control group). The interventions, group logotherapy and group motivational interviewing, were implemented in eight weekly 90-minute sessions. Collected data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).
Results. The results of MANOVA showed that both group logotherapy and group motivational interviewing significantly reduced the severity of Internet addiction at post-test and one-month follow-up compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was observed between the effectiveness of the two approaches (P > 0.05; η² = 0.36).
Conclusion. The findings of the present study indicated that group logotherapy and group motivational interviewing are equally effective in reducing Internet addiction among male adolescents. Both approaches are recommended to be used as short-term, low-cost, and feasible interventions in educational settings. The results are consistent with previous research on logotherapy and motivational interviewing and suggest that common mechanisms, strengthening the will to change and peer support within a group format, are the primary factors underlying their effectiveness. It is suggested that future studies investigate the combined application of these two approaches with longer-term follow-up.
Practical Implications. The findings of this study confirm the effectiveness of group psychological interventions in reducing Internet addiction and provide evidence for the relative stability of the treatment effect during the follow-up period, highlighting the need to design psychological interventions aimed at reducing Internet addiction and improving functioning in adolescents with Internet addiction, which can lead to a reduction in the symptoms of this disorder.