The Effect of a Solution-Focused Stress Management Program on Emotional Eating and Digital Game Addiction in Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Study

PURPOSE: This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of a solution-focused stress management program on emotional eating and digital game addiction in nursing students. DESIGN AND METHODS: A pretest-posttest control group, randomized controlled study design was employed. The sample of the study consisted of 60 nursing students, including n = 30 in the intervention and n = 30 in the control group. Data were collected using a personal information form, the emotional eating scale, and the game addiction scale. RESULTS: While there was no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the intervention and control groups on the emotional eating and game addiction scales before the implementation of the solution-focused stress management program ( p > .05), the mean scores of the study group on these two scales decreased significantly compared with the control group after the intervention ( p < .05). A significant negative increase was observed in the mean emotional eating scale score of the control group, but no significant difference was detected in the mean game addiction score in the posttest. CONCLUSIONS: The solution-focused stress management program reduced the emotional eating and gaming addiction behaviors of the students in the intervention group. The program can be used to develop effective stress-coping behaviors and prevent emotional eating and gaming addiction in risky adolescents within the scope of community mental health practices. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Based on the results of this study, solution-focused stress management programs can be implemented by psychiatric nurses to prevent emotional eating and digital gaming addiction.