Effects of different interventions on internet addiction: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Abstract Background Globally, Internet is a recognized form of leisure, but there are growing apprehensions about the increasing number of individuals developing an addiction to it. Recent research has focused on social issues associated with internet addiction (IA). However, the treatment of IA is currently unclear. This study aimed to explore the relationship between IA treatment outcomes and different intervention strategies through systematic review and data analysis of patients who received different intervention modes. Methods A meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 14.2 on 57 literature research data from five Chinese and English databases, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang and CNKI. Result A total of 57 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this network meta-analysis involving 3538 IA patients and 13 different interventions. The network meta-analysis results demonstrated that the top four interventions were: rTMS + CBT, drug + others, rTMS, and electro-acupuncture + CBT. Conclusion Our study indicated that comprehensive therapy had an optimal therapeutic effect on IA patients and rTMS + CBT ranked first among all therapeutic indicators of intervention, indicating optimal clinical effectiveness.