The effect of solution-focussed education and counselling on problematic internet usage, sleep quality and school achievement: A randomized controlled trial.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of solution-focussed education and counselling on problematic internet usage, sleep quality and school achievement.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted between January - December 2016 with 44 adolescents who participated in a solution-focussed intervention to address their problematic internet usage and poor sleep quality. After the intervention, the teens were followed up for 6 months to measure problematic Internet usage, sleep quality and school achievement using the Internet Addiction Test, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, Parent-Child Internet Addiction Scale and the students' end-of-term school grades. Data were analysed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences programme using Chi-square test, Independent t test, Man-Whitney U test, Friedman test and Spearman correlation analysis.

Results: The median Internet Addiction Test and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index scores of the adolescents in the intervention group were significantly lower than those of the controls (P < 0.05), and there was a positive and moderate association between problematic Internet usage and sleep quality in both groups after the follow-up (r = 0.537, P = 0.010; r = 0.576 P = 0.005).

Conclusion: The education and counselling intervention decreased problematic Internet usage and increased sleep quality. There was also an improvement in school achievement, but the difference was not significant.